Fragment Effect
by Wraith002
Summary: "For every choice, there is an echo. With each act, we change the world. For we are but fragments of the greater universe, our past, present and future mapping our destiny." The actions of one will alter the fate of a whole universe. Will he help the Shepard succeed? Or will he fall to the plot of the ancient machines? The answers may lie within his very being, waiting to be awoken
1. Prologue

**A/N:** Hello Mass Effect universe! And to the many readers of my work. After much deliberation regarding the second version of my 'Infinite' story, I decided to return to the original work and improve on it like before while keeping it the same as the last time I had posted it. However, the plot point I had started with for the new version I discarded still had merit so I decided to apply it another way.

There are dozens of SI/OC inserts for ME out there, each one more unique than the last. Hell, my friend DemonFireX went in a whole new direction with 'Crysis Effect' and couldn't help but feel a bit inspired by it. So, like the many fans of the franchise, I decided to throw my hat into the ring as well. And since I find myself with a little time on my hands while waiting for more episodes of RWBY Volume 2 to play out before continuing with my Symbiosis series, I thought this would be a good way to pass the time while I wait.

Regardless, I hope you guys give this one a chance. Let's hope for the best.

Disclaimer: I don't own Mass Effect.

_**"Fate is never fair. You are caught in a current much stronger than you are; struggle against it and you'll drown not just yourself but those who try to save you. Swim with it, and you'll survive." -Cassandra Claire**_

**X**

**My name, is Mason Riley. I'm writing this so that no one gets confused or believes me to be crazy...then again, with everything that has happened to me I wouldn't blame anyone for thinking me to be crazy.**

**I grew up in an orphanage, with no knowledge of my life much before the age of four. Everything was just a big blur, and I get a headache whenever I try to push myself to remember.**

**The other kids avoided me, I was...different. Whenever we were all outside playing they would think I was cheating at what ever games we were playing because I seemed to be faster and stronger than everyone else my age. Even some of the older kids had a rough time keeping up with me.**

**The people running the orphanage always said that I was unique, and that unique was a good thing. But I was still an outcast. Usually playing by myself or reading in the library, I was content...but lonely.**

**When I turned five, I was adopted by William and Annette Riley. They were kind and gentle people, Annette was barren and couldn't have children and they had agreed to adopt. With my jet-black hair and silver-blue eyes I could have passed for their son even though I wasn't blood related.**

**They brought me home and loved me like their own instantly. The void in my life being filled now that I had a family.**

**The Riley's were also wealthy, both of them being high-paid bankers that invested their money very well. Though they didn't care much about their material wealth, they loved the simple things in life and raised me with the same morals and ethics. **

**As the years went by I adapted well to my new life, going to school and getting high marks in all of my classes with scholarships to several colleges around the US. I had also taken up physical training, after discovering how strong and fast I was my adopted father wanted me to use it in a positive way. So I took up weight lifting and kick-boxing as a way for me to train myself and keep my body in peak condition.**

**Life was good, and I wouldn't change that for anything in the universe.**

**Then it all changed in the blink of an eye.**

**About three months after I started attending college in New York I got a phone call from home. My parents had been in a car accident, drunk-driver behind the wheel of a semi lost control and slammed into their car killing them instantly.**

**My world came crashing down, after worrying the hell out of my friends and teachers I managed to pull myself together and made the trip down to Rhoad Island where I grew up. The funeral was a beautiful affair, friends of my adopted family gave me their condolences and offered to help me in anyway that they could if I needed it.**

**When everything was all said and done I went to our family home. A home that was on a six acre field along the coast facing the Atlantic ocean.**

**It was a beautiful place...but it felt so empty now that I was all alone again.**

**A few days after the funeral, I met with Jack Mercer, the lawyer handling my parents' will. I had known him since I was first adopted and considered him an uncle with how good a friend he was to my folks. **

**He explained to me that my parents had left me everything. Their home, cars, money and stocks that were still being well maintained. None of it mattered, nothing would bring them back and materialism didn't appeal to me since they raised me that way.**

**After making sure that everything was in order I returned to the house and went down memory lane, looking through photo albums and remembering all the good times I had with them. I decided to take some time off from school to get my head back on straight, calling my teachers and friends and telling them to e-mail me the assignments and notes and I'll be sure that everything was sent in before they were due. No one had an issue with it and told me to take all the time that I needed.**

**In no time at all a week had come and gone as I finished settling my parents' affairs, spending time at home and driving into town every other day. I still felt empty from the loss I had suffered, but being there filled me with a bit of serenity that helped me through the grief.**

**I had no idea of knowing that things were about to take a turn for the strange...and cast me into a situation that will forever be a one for the history books. One where the fate of countless hanged in the balance. **

**My parents had always told me from the day I was adopted that I was special, that I was born to do great things one day...they had no idea how right they were.**

**X**

Mason sat up in bed, blinking the last of the grogginess from his vision as he came back to reality. Running a hand across his face and over his freshly buzzcut hair. Standing up, he treaded over to the bathroom attached to the bedroom and flicked the light on, squinting through the brightness of the lights as he approached the sink and splashed water on his face.

He hadn't had a good night's sleep in the last week since he had gotten here. The loss of his parents still very fresh in his mind. Part of him still not believing that they were gone, they were the first people in his life that he could remember that showed him love and care. They may not have been blood, but they treated him like their son and raised him as such.

Wiping the water away, he looked at his reflection. At 19 years old, he stood at 6'1'' and built like an athlete. All of the physical training he had gone through bulking him up in a way that had many girls back at school doing a double take.

Standing under the lights wearing just a pair of sleep pants also revealed several tattoos that he had applied to his skin in the last couple years. A pair of large, black, angel wings were on his back extended across his shoulder blades. The tips of the farthest feathers coiling around his shoulders on both sides.

On his right pec was a couple words in latin that read; _'Virtus, Fortitudo, Animus'_ Which translated to 'Bravery, Strength and Spirit. And lastly, there was a celtic cross imprinted on the inside of his right forearm.

His parents had been a little offput by him marking his skin in such a way, but they thought that he had good taste when it came to body art and said that it suited him. Especially since he was going to school to become a professional automachanic.

His piercing silver-blue eyes looked back at him with a dull shine in them. Scanning over his face briefly, his once jet black-hair was shaved down to stubble and a slight five o'clock shadow that marred his face. The dark circles under his eyes from the few hours of sleep he had lost in the last couple days showing in the dull light as he sighed. Switching off the light and heading back into the bedroom and flopping back on the bed.

Grabbing his iphone from the bedside table and checking the time, he saw that it was just after three in the morning. "Dammit." he muttered realizing another night of sleep had eluded him once again.

A familiar symbol for messages in his voicemail box blinked in the top right corner and he clicked on it along with the speaker.

**"You have 2 unheard messages."** said the automated voice. **"First unheard message."**

_"Hay, Mason. It's Matt. Haven't heard from ya in a couple of days. Jessie and I have been pretty worried about you, hell a lot of us back here on campus are. Just give us a call back and let us know you're okay. Later man."_

He tapped the delete button when it finished. **"Deleted."**

_"...Mason? It's Miranda."_ Mason rolled his eyes hearing the voice of his ex-girlfriend. _"I just heard about what happened with your parents. Look, I know we didn't end things on the best of terms, but I wanted to say how sorry I am. They were good people. And...I wanted to know if we could talk sometime. About what happened?-"_

**"Deleted. No new messages."** He hit the button without a second thought. Talk about what had happened in their relationship? There wasn't anything to say.

Mason had gotten out of class early and decided to surprise his girlfriend of 8 months. Using the key she had given him to enter her dorm only to find her naked and riding her supposed 'gay friend' in her room.

The fall out resorted in a broken table, two chairs and the 'friend' being sent to the hospital with a broken nose and fractured jaw. He ended their relationship right there and never looked back, ignoring her calls and texts until they finally stopped.

That was a month ago, and thankfully he had his friends there to help ease the pain from it.

Sighing again, he stuffed the phone in his pocket and got out of bed a second time. Wearing only the jeans he had fallen asleep in and barefoot, he went out into the hall and down the main staircase of the large, two-story house he had grown up in.

The place was pretty grand. Five bedrooms, three bathrooms surrounded by six acres of land with a good-sized pool set up in the back next to a stone patio. His parents may not have been materialistic, but the home alone was enough to show that they were very well off. But that was the only thing they were really frivolous about with their money.

Reaching the ground floor, Mason walked down the small corridor that led into the kitchen/dining room. One big enough to house roughly a dozen people, and had done so whenever the Riley's had company over for birthday parties.

Heading to the fridge, he dug out a bottle of water and downed half of it in a couple of gulps. The house was very silent, save for the crickets that were chirping outside. He'd grown used to it in the time he had been back.

When the silence became too much, he'd retire to the living room and power up the Xbox 360 he brought with him and start playing one of the games from his collection. He'd always been a fan of sci-fi shooters since he was little, and became a fan of the Crysis and Halo series'. But his friend Matt had gotten him into Mass Effect roughly a week after he and Miranda broke up.

The story was compelling, the characters well thought out and articulate, and the games were just like movies that you had complete control over. And the way your choices effected the universe itself was also a plus...even through the ending really sucked. It had taken him almost three weeks to beat all three games, in fact it was about two hours when he finished the third one when he got the call about his parents' accident.

Thinking about his parents and their passing for what must have been the hundredth time. Mason felt another tear slide down his face. His fists balling up on the countertop as he fought back the urge to start sobbing again like he had the night he had first been told of their passing.

After taking several minutes to keep his emotions in check, he finished the water and tossed the empty bottle away when he felt his phone vibrating in his pocket.

Reaching in and taking it out, he saw that he was getting a call from a private number. Thinking that it was another well wisher he answered it without pause. "Hello?"

There was a burst of static that made him recoil from the device briefly, when the volume dropped enough so that it didn't cause pain he placed it back against his ear. "Hello?" he asked again.

Someone was definitely on the other end of the line, but their words were swallowed so deep into the static that it couldn't be understood at all. "If you can hear me, your signals all screwed up. I can't hear anything you're saying." he said hoping to get over all the white noise to the person on the line.

A few seconds passed and the static dulled down to a much lower level. "Is this Mason?" a man's voice said very clearly over the background noise.

Mason furrowed his brow in confusion. "Yes...Who is this?" he asked slowly.

There was a click and the line went dead. Looking down at his phone he saw that the call had either ended or dropped from the other person's end. Still a bit confused, he just shrugged it off and headed back up to his room in the hopes of salvaging what sleep he could for the night.

Unaware of what the next day was going to bring him.

**X**

South Yarmouth was a very small town in Rhoad Island. Located along the state's coastline facing the Atlantic ocean and slightly long drive from Providence. But the remoteness of the location was very peaceful and familiar to Mason.

Having grown up here, he knew almost every road and landmark like the back of his hand. And he enjoyed driving through his home state, taking in the sights and breathing in the salty sea are that he had known since childhood.

After catching a couple more hours of sleep. He had gotten a call from his family's lawyer, Jack Mercer, and had to drive up to Providence to handle a couple of things that had almost been forgotten during their last meeting.

It wasn't anything serious, just a couple of documents that needed to be signed and several others to be looked over. Being a legal adult, he was entitled to everything his parents left behind according to their will. There had also been a letter left to him written by both of them that he had yet to open, it being left on the bedside table in his room since he wasn't ready to read it yet.

When everything was in order, Mason talking with Jack about what had been happening while he had been at home. The teen got back into his car and began heading back for home. Taking the scenic route so that he could relax and try and enjoy the ride.

The 2007 Mustang GT he had gotten as a gift for college rumbling softly as he went down the long roads along the coastline. The view of the ocean with the sun slowly starting to dip down toward the waves being a beautiful sight to behold as he made his way back to the house.

A few dark clouds were gathering in the distance, but that didn't take away the sight that was right before him.

Dressed in one of his casual outfits. Faded blue jeans along with his dark-brown carhart boots, a black t-shirt and a denim jacket. Mason kept his eyes on the road as he went around a curve. The only thing keeping him from the embankment that led down to the lapping waves below being a metal guard rail.

As he drove, he began to think about what he was going to do next. He'd finish school, that definitely being on top of his priority list. But after that he hadn't a clue. A part of him always wanted to open his own autobody shop, hence why he as going to school for automachanics. He loved working on cars, his father had as well which was what got him started on it in the first place.

He remembered tinkering with several old vehicles that his old man had gotten his hands on, enjoying every second of it. And as he got older it became something that he wanted to do as a profession. And being the loving, understanding people that they were, his parents supported his choice and stuck by him.

Shaking the thoughts and memories away, Mason turned around another corner...

Only to be met with the bright headlights of an eighteen wheeler drifting over to his side of the road with its horn blaring. "SHIT!" he shouted spinning the wheel and swerving around the larger truck as it flew past.

But in doing this he found himself in the path of a jeep coming his way in the opposing lane. The teen twisted the wheel back to the right in time to miss a head-on collision; however, a loud crunch was heard as the jeep collided with the back end of his car sending him into a spin.

Gritting his teeth, Mason tried to regain control but was jarred when the Mustang went through the guard-rail that separated the road from the ocean and found himself airborne.

Everything seemed to slow to a crawl as the car and its driver began to free fall. Hitting the dark waters hard and causing him to smack his head hard enough against the steering that he saw stars.

The pain in his head was nearly forgotten when the cold salt water got inside and sent a shock into his system.

Trying to stay calm, despite the life/death situation he now found himself in, he made quick work of undoing his seat belt as the inside of the vehicle began to fill up fast. After getting the safety restraint off, he pressed his back to the driver side door and slammed his booted feet against the passenger window several times before it shattered.

By that point, the Mustang slipped beneath the lapping waves of the Atlantic. Mason managed to get what breath of air he could before going under water and working his way out of the sinking vehicle.

It was a rough fit for his large frame through the shattered window. But he managed and found himself in open water kicking as hard as he could for the surface. Being around water most of his life, he knew how to swim pretty well. But it was a challenge since his boots were steel toe and were weighing him down significantly.

With a lot of exertion, the teen breached the surface of the water gulping in air as the waves knocked him around. 'Have to make it to shore!' he screamed in his thoughts as he began to fight against the pull of the ocean toward the slope that led back up to the road.

Even with his boots and his soaked clothes weighing him down, Mason began to make his way back to land. But the waves were getting choppier by the second, a storm must have been coming because the salt water was churning like crazy.

A good-sized wave knocked him off course and forced him to lose focus just as another slammed down on top of him sending him back under.

Barely any air in his lungs, the teen kicked with everything he had to get back to the surface. But the current kept pulling him back down, and with each kick be began losing more and more strength. His chest burned with the urge to breathe in as he kept his mouth clamped firmly shut to keep what oxygen he had left inside.

By sheer luck he breached the surface again and sucked in air...only for another good-sized wave to crash on to him, forcing water down his throat in mid-breath causing crippling pain to shoot through his form.

Mason coughed unconsciously, but since he was already under water he ended up sucking in more making the pain beyond excruciating. His vision started to blur and darken as what strength he had left began leaving him like a large hole in a fuel-line. Eventually his struggles began to fade as well as his body began to sink into the dark depths.

'This...can't be how it ends...' he thought trying to will his body to react, but it was as if it was out of his control. His form was nothing more than dead weight.

Darkness surrounded his vision and began closing in. Thoughts of his friends, and the life he had flashed before his eyes as he began to lose conciousness. An image of his parents appeared in his mind's eye as he slipped farther and farther away. '...I...I love you all...I'm sorry...' he thought sadly as his eyes slid closed.

Before his fell into the embrace of oblivion, the teen saw something glowing in the water around him before everything went dark.

**X**

**I was dying. Despite how hard I tried I couldn't fight against mother nature, no matter how strong I was.**

**As I fell unconscious all I thought about was what I was leaving behind. That I still had so much more to do with my life and that I wasn't ready to go yet. Even though I was still grieving over my loss, I knew that they would have wanted me to live on and become something they could be proud of...**

**...and in the end I thought I would end up joining them all too soon.**

**But it seemed, fate had other plans for me. And this little accident of mine was just the beginning of something far greater...and far more dangerous.**

**X**

Mason had expected weightlessness, floating through an endless void as some higher power decided where he would go to spend eternity. However, he wasn't expecting to be laying on a solid surface. Grass tickling his nose as the sounds of nature was heard around him.

He began coughing loudly, his lungs burning as water was expelled from his airwaves. Eyes tearing up, he rolled over on to his back after he was able to breathe normally again. Looking up at the clear blue sky from where he was laying, he tried to figure out the extent of the damage he suffered from.

His head ached, the cut on his forehead stung a bit but other than that and the slight burn in his chest there wasn't anything else wrong. Sitting up slowly, Mason felt his still wet clothes cling to him as he looked around, finding himself on the ground beside a large body of water.

But the thing wrong with that was that it wasn't the ocean. Instead, he was laying on the shoreline of a large lake. Various trees and rock formations surrounding it, the sun high in the sky shining down on them making the air warm and comfortable.

"Where the hell..." he muttered as he stood up, swaying slightly when the pain in his head made his vision swim. This coupled with the confusion of the situation made it hard for him to focus.

Leaning against the closest tree, he waited for the disorientation to pass. Taking deep, calming breaths as he tried to focus. Trying to remember everything that had happened leading up to this point. The drive, his car going off the road..."The accident..." he whispered as he began looking around the environment again.

Everything looked different, where ever this place was it wasn't near the Atlantic ocean or Rhoad Island for that matter. But where exactly was he?

A small gasp was emitted somewhere to his right, causing Mason to snap his head in that direction. The pain from before returning and making him grit his teeth and clutch at his forehead. His vision blurred as he blinked back tears as he looked toward the source of the sound.

The pain all but forgotten as his gaze fell on a little girl, looking no more than six or seven standing a couple of meters away. But it wasn't so much the little girl herself than the way she looked.

She was blue! A soft, almost dark-blue that shimmered slightly with the sunlight. On top of her head was a tentacle-like fringe that looked like hair curled to a point together. She wore a purple sundress that contrasted with her color slightly, a basket clutched tightly in her hands containing a bunch of pink berries that she must have been collecting, her bare feet nestled in the grass while her bright green eyes stared back at him surprised.

"W-Wha...?" he whispered. The girl took a tiny step back, her shoulders high and her eyes wide as she took another. Obviously afraid of him.

Reaching out to stop her more pain suddenly ripped through his head making him cry out, dropping to the ground with his hands clutching the sides of his skull as a feeling that resembled a drill piercing both temples crippled him. He felt warmth drip down from his nose, the copper taste of blood on his lips as the pain increased even more.

Images began passing through his mind at a rapid pace. Locations, people, things he had never experienced before bombarding his brain like hollow-point bullets. Things began to get fuzzy after a while, his body swaying from side to side as it all became too much for him.

Mason barely made out the sound of the girl screaming as he collapsed face first to the dirt, His vision darkening as he slipped back into the abyss. His last conscious thought was someone shouting and the feel of hands gently flipping him over before he faded from reality.

**A/N: **A slow beginning, but will pick up overtime. As you can see, I may or may mot have incorporated parts of Bioshock into the story to make things a bit more interesting. If you haven't seen it yet, you will in the future. I have good hopes for this story, so tell me what you think.


	2. Chapter 1

**A/N: And here we are again folks. With the first chapter being a strong success and those that have read it interested, I decided to get the second one out ahead of schedule to allow people who want to continue it a little more insight. I haven't left a story half-assed before and I don't intend to start.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Mass Effect.**

_Everything around him was out of focus, grainy and without color like a black and white television with bad reception. Through the haze, he could make out doors and windows lining the walls of a long corridor, from somewhere in the distance he could hear a woman sobbing._

_Feet moving on their own accord, he found himself heading down the long corridor. His footfalls silent as the distant whimpers filled his ears, getting louder as he drew closer. _

_Stopping outside a lone door at the far end, his hand reached out and pressed against the holo-lock on the panel to the right. The door sliding upward, a bright white light spilling into the hallway and taking away his sight before everything went black._

**X**

Mason blinked his eyes open, and for the second time found himself in a strange environment. A grey ceiling above him with a fan spinning lazily filled his vision, orange light shining along the surface more than likely from a nearby window.

The feel of a soft mattress and sheets told him that he was laying in a bed, and also discovered that he was shirtless and bootless meaning someone must have moved him there when he passed out.

His memories clicked when he remembered first waking up, 'Was it all a dream?' he thought to himself as he slowly sat up. A wave of dizziness hitting him and making a groan escape as he held his head waiting for it to pass. Looking around the room he was in, he found it very spartan in nature. Just a simple bed, nightstand, dresser, closet and desk, but it all looked futuristic compared to what he was used to. Making him realize that even though he was in a new place...he still had no idea knowing where he was.

Shaking his head and rubbing his eyes, Mason tried to make sense of his situation. He had no way of knowing how it was possible for him to have wound up in such a way after a traffic accident, let alone seen a little blue child that looked like an Asari from Mass Effect.

'Gotta focus.' he thought looking around the room again. 'Need to find out where I am and find some help.'

Finding his shirt and denim jacket laying on the desk folded with his boots on the floor below, Mason swung his legs over to the side and was about to stand when the door to the room slid open with a silent _whoosh_ making him freeze. His gaze falling on to a blue woman in a blue and red dress with a striking resemblance to the little girl he had remembered seeing before.

"Oh! You're awake." she said in a soft voice as she entered the room, a glass of water in her hand that she sat on the bedside table. "How are you feeling?" she asked turning to face him, her violet colored eyes locking on to his very shocked silver-blue ones.

Blinking when he realized he was actually talking to a real Asari, he schooled himself and nodded. "A...A little better...thank you." he said still a bit shell-shocked from what he was now experiencing.

The Asari nodded before looking at him in concern, "You were in a bad way when my daughter found you. Looking to be in great pain before you passed out. What happened to you child?"

Rubbing his temple when he remembered the crippling pain he had endured, Mason took a deep breath and sighed, "I...don't know. I was in an accident, and when I woke up..." he trailed off before looking back at the alien woman. "Where am I?"

The concerned gaze amplified, "You're on Eden Prime, in my home." she said obviously wondering about his mental health after whatever ordeal he had endured. "My name is Zenya T'Lorak. Can you remember your name?"

'Eden Prime...' he thought with his mind working in overdrive before he finally answered. "Mason Riley...can you tell me the date? It feels like I've been out for a while." he asked as casually as he could.

"By Earth calendars, it is July 23, 2183. You've been asleep for the better part of the day." Zenya brought up her arm, a bright orange gauntlet materializing out of thin air as she began pressing buttons long the holographic surface. "I scanned you to check your medical status when we brought you here. Save for a bit of dehydration you seem to be fine, although I am a bit worried about your memory being hindered due to whatever accident you've endured."

Mason raised an eyebrow, "You're a doctor?" he couldn't help but ask.

"I was a field medic during my time as a commando." she replied before reading something on her omni-tool that she narrowed her eyes at. "Strange..."

"What is it?" he asked, a bit of anxiety bubbling up to the surface.

Zenya bit her lip, "Well...it seems you are missing the standard implants that all humans are required to have, save for your omni-tool."

Eyes widening, Mason looked down at his arms for any sign of the device. As if by thought alone, his left arm lit up revealing the omni-tool in question. The holographic projection shifting and rotating with his arms movements as data scrolled across a small screen that appeared across the surface.

Overcoming his shock once again, he saw that the screen that was visible was a status screen that showed small wording in the corner that read **'Translator: Online.'**

'Guess that explains how I'm able to understand her...but where the fuck did this come from?' A hand on his shoulder pulled him from his thoughts. "Mason? Are you sure that you are alright? You seem very lost." Zenya said with her worried gaze still in place.

Omni-tool fading from view, Mason did his best to remain focused on the situation at hand and decided to wait to find out more when he was alone. "Yeah...my head's still a bit scrambled, but everything's coming back to me." he said with a straight face. "As for the lack of implants...my parents wanted to raise me naturally. Similar to that of our people from the 21st century."

The Asari raised an eye-ridge, "A bit irresponsible of them, but you seem in perfect health for the time being. Regardless, I suggest you consider those implants at some point. There are a lot of diseases out in the traverse that your body's immune system might not be able to handle."

He nodded as she stood back up, "You're welcome to stay for a while. I was just about to make dinner if you're interested." she said with a smile.

"I wouldn't want to impose." he said trying to be respectful.

Zenya waved him off, "It is no trouble, it would be nice to have some company after so long." she headed for the door and looked back, "Take all the time you need." with that the door closed allowing Mason to let out a breath he didn't know he was holding.

"What the hell?" he muttered while running a hand over his scalp. A few seconds passed before raising his left arm again, wondering how to activate his mysteriously acquired omni-tool.

As if by mental command the device lit up again making the mechanic jump slightly. "Freaky...yet cool." he said as he began moving his fingers along the interface. "Now...let's see what we got."

It took him a good five to ten minutes to figure out how to use the thing. It was rather simple to use and was no different than an ipad, just very advanced. You could search the web (or in this case extranet), download apps, make calls, play music, and if the games were as true as they seemed to be at this point you could be able to hack things as well.

He had been reading through the instruction schematics that were available for the device when it suddenly chimed. An icon signalling a new message appearing on-screen making him wonder on who could be contacting him. "One way to find out." he said tapping the icon.

The message screen appeared and he began reading;

_**Mason - **_

_**If you are getting this, than it is safe to assume that you survived your journey. This outcome was one that we had been hoping for.**_

_**It is understandable that you feel lost, confused and above all disoriented, but all of that will pass with time.**_

_**Most likely you are wondering how and why you have awoken in a world that you once believed to be fictional. And we possess the answers you seek. However, we cannot give them to you at this time, too much is at stake for such things to be revealed too soon. **_

_**All that can be said is that you were brought here for a purpose. A purpose in which can alter the very fabric of which this universe is based upon. You know what is coming, what to expect, and what is needed to be done. And even though you may have the urge to change certain events that will come to pass, then we must warn you against such actions.**_

_**Even though your arrival is an anomaly to this worlds structure, your actions can impact it in such ways that could bring about a domino effect of unknown proportions. Watch each step you make carefully, the resounding echos may or may not be to your liking. **_

_**You may not consider yourself the luckiest person right now, but rest assured, you are a variable that carries great weight in a world filled with too many constants. The journey that awaits you will be long, dangerous, your life could be lost as a result. But as a wise man had once said, every journey begins with just one step. And we will enjoy watching you take yours. **_

_**We have much faith in you, Mr. Riley. Good luck.**_

_**- R/R**_

Mason sat staring at the screen, mouth agape as he read the words several more times before rubbing his eyes. He now had an answer, or in this case a 'half-answer', behind how he had wound up here. But whoever had done it was obviously not going to give him straight answers given how the message was written.

Though it did give him insight into what to expect, and given how things were it was obvious that his choices were limited seeing's how his trip down the proverbial rabbit hole may be a one way thing.

Calming himself while drinking the glass of water Zenya had left for him, he went to close the omni-tool down when it chimmed again. A new message appeared written by the same person as before;

_**Mason - **_

_**A few tools to help you taking that first step.**_

_**- R/R**_

Connected to the message were three completed download screens and a notification. Selecting the download screens first, he felt his mouth drop again as he looked at what had been sent to his device.

Three apps total, one of which read **'Omni-Blade'**, the next one being **'Incinerate'**, and the last one **'Hack Module: Lv.1'**

Snapping from his stupor, he immediately used what he had learned about the omni-tool and began sorting the newly acquired programs. Just like the devices from his time, you could assign certain things shortcuts for easier access. In this case, you could assign things to certain fingers to be activated immediately. After a moment of deliberation, he locked the apps to the fingers he wanted before holding his omni-tool away from him.

Twitching his thumb, a foot-long blade of hard-light folded out of the device like a switch blade. Humming softly in the air as he observed it with careful eyes, his inner mechanic going nuts as such innovation that was right before his eyes.

"I don't know who did all this...but they sent me some pretty cool toys." he said before folding the omni-blade back up and bringing up the second message again. Finding the small notification, he pressed it and read the corresponding note that followed;

_**Attention User -**_

_**R/R has deposited 50,000 credits to your savings account.**_

_**Thank you for using Galactic-Banking.**_

Mason closed the omni-tool down, his eyes wide as he tried to come to grips with everything once more. Whoever had done this to him obviously didn't want him going into the unknown unprepared. Even though what he had received wouldn't stop hardly any of the things that would be coming in the near future, it was still better than nothing at all.

'R/R...whoever the hell you are, I'm gonna find you.' he thought clenching his fists. 'And when I do...you're gonna tell me everything one way or another.'

**X**

After taking a few more minutes to gather himself, Mason pulled on his black t-shirt and boots before leaving the room he had woken up in. Deciding to leave his denim jacket along with his iphone and wallet for safe keeping.

Considering the time in which he was in now, the phone and the dollar bills in his wallet were now considered antiques and were probably worth a lot to the right buyers. All he had to do was find someone who dabbled in old human collectables and make some offers. But all that could wait for now.

Finding the rest of the house very warm and inviting as he walked down the hall, passed various forms of artwork, plants and a few other rooms toward where he could smell food cooking. His stomach growling, reminding him he had skipped lunch when he left Jack Mercer's office before the accident.

Entering the living room where a couple couches and armchairs were set up with a large screen on the wall in front of them, Mason found the kitchen and dining room not too far away. Zenya just finished setting the table up when she looked his way and smiled. "How are you feeling now, Mason?" she asked kindly.

"A lot better, actually." he replied scratching the back of his head. "Do you, uh, normally take in poor souls that wind up in a bad way?"

"Only the ones that looked like they truly deserve it." said the Asari with a knowing gleam in her eye. "My training allows me to tell when someone's a danger to me or my child, and from what I see you aren't a threat...unless my instincts are wrong?"

Mason shook his head, "No, ma'am. The last thing i want to do his hurt someone who helped me when I needed it...thank you, for whatever it is worth. If there's any way I can repay you, just let me know."

Zenya smiled again, "You can start by telling me a little more about yourself while we eat." she looked back toward where he had come from, "Leela! Time for dinner!" she called out before motioning to one of the empty seats and heading back into the kitchen.

Taking his seat, the mechanic looked at the spread before him. Some of it looked vaguely familiar, and from what he could remember about what certain foods the various species in the ME universe could and couldn't eat he didn't have to worry about being poisoned since Asari and Humans could eat the same things.

As he observed the food, he wondered what kinds of questions he was going to be asked regarding his life. He knew damn well that simply coming out and saying that he had essentially 'died' in one world and woke up in another would give him a one way trip to an asylum, so he began planning a story that would be believable while at the same time accurate in some way.

His brainstorm was interrupted by the feeling of being watched. Looking around the dining room he didn't seem to find anything out of the ordinary, but when he looked back toward the living room he saw a flash of blue duck behind one the couches.

Confused, Mason kept his eyes locked on the spot and waited. A moment later, a small blue face with green eyes peeked out. A small gasp was heard and the face vanished a moment later.

A soft chuckle drew his attention to Zenya as she approached the table. "She's a little shy." she said before looking at the same spot he had been, "Leela, come on out and introduce yourself. You have nothing to be afraid of."

Several seconds ticked by before a familiar little Asari came out and walked slowly forward. Her eyes on the floor as she played with her fingers in a timid manner. Mason couldn't help but smile at this, though it faded when he remembered how they had first met.

Screaming bloody murder while in pain before passing out on the ground probably wasn't the best way to connect to anyone.

Eventually the girl reached the table, her green eyes looking up into Mason's. "H-Hi..." she said so softly he almost didn't hear her.

He smiled back, "Hi, Leela. I'm Mason. Sorry for scaring you back in the woods, I really didn't mean to." he said gently.

Leela tilted her head, her shyness lifting ever so slightly, "Do...Do all humans do that? Scream really loud and fall down?" she asked innocently.

Mason chuckled, "No, we don't. I was...hurt." he said after a moment's hesitation. "I'm very glad you and your mother were there to help me, I really needed it."

The young Asari's eyes moved away from his and centered on his right arm, tilting her head as she took a few steps closer. Reaching her small, blue hand out she ran her fingers slowly over the intricate lines that made up the cross tattooed on his skin. "What is this?" she asked, gently pressing down more as if it would change the artwork in some way.

"It's called a tattoo. Special ink that is injected into the skin and making art that becomes a permanent part of you." he explained as the child continued to run her fingers over the design.

"Does it hurt?" she asked looking up at him.

Mason shrugged, "A little bit, but you get used to it after a some time." he thought on his words a moment. "Though I wouldn't worry about it. I'm sure your mother wouldn't like you getting something like this for a long, _long_ while."

Zenya giggled as she sat down at the table, "Leela, save your questions and sit down for dinner. I'm sure Mason is hungry after his ordeal." the little Asari pouted before hopping up into a chair where her own plate was set out before her.

Looking at the plate before him, the mechanic hesitated a moment as he observed the food. It looked like a simple salad and steak, though the vegetables that made up the salad were in colors that weren't like any that he had known before.

Desiding to be respectful, he tried the not-so-greens and was pleasantly surprised by the sweet and tangy flavor of the salad. Trying the steak, he found it very similar to a beef sirloin but had a bit more of a salty flavor to it.

"So, tell us a little about yourself Mason." said Zenya taking a sip from her glass of wine.

Swallowing the steak piece in his mouth, Mason shrugged. "Not much to know, I'm afraid. I'm 19 and was going to university for mechanics." he explained.

The Asari Matriarch nodded, "Sounds like a useful major to be learning. What brought you to Eden Prime?"

"My...parents passed recently from an accident. I just needed to get away for a while." he explained while keeping his emotions in check. It wasn't completely a lie, but walking along the line of one very closely.

Zenya gasped, Leela looked at him sadly. "Oh dear." said the elder woman reach out and holding his hand. "I'm very sorry to hear of your loss, I can't imagine what you're going through."

Mason nodded as he stared at the table before him, "It's still pretty raw, but I'm managing the best I can on my own." he smiled before looking at the two and smiling, "They were good people, and I remember everything they taught me while I was growing up. "

"How did you get hurt?" asked Leela.

He shrugged again, "I can't remember exactly. All I can recall is driving along, something...happened and the next thing I know I'm waking up by that lake." by this point it had become very easy to skirt around the truth. Mason hated to lie, but it was better than the alternative.

"At least your alive, things could have ended up far worse." said Zenya as they continued with dinner. "What are your plans while you are here?"

Thinking about it a moment, Mason realized that he had no idea how far the nearest settlement was or if there were even any hotels on Eden Prime. The games really didn't go into much detail on what the Human colony worlds were like in terms of architecture and living conditions. "I was camping a ways away from here, but it'll take me a while to get back to where I set up."

The Matriarch smiled at him, "You're welcome to stay in the guest bedroom until tomorrow. With how dark it's getting it may not be safe looking for your campsite at night. I was planning on going into town tomorrow for a bit of shopping, perhaps we'll be able to drop you off along the way."

Nodding, the mechanic went back to his plate while trying to figure out how to go about this without being found out. Several ideas forming in his head as they sat in relative silence.

"Mama, are we going to be able to see that beacon everyone's been talking about?" asked Leela while bouncing in her seat. Mason coughed when his last bite went down the wrong tube and cleared his throat while Zenya answered.

"We'll see dear. The Alliance are keeping it from public eye for the time being before the Council comes to take it to the Citadel." she looked over at their guest who was taking a long drink from his glass of water. "Something wrong, Mason?"

He shook his head, "No, nothing. But you wouldn't happen to be talking about the Prothean Beacon that was dug up would you?" he asked already knowing the answer.

"Yes. It has been big news since it was discovered." said the elder Asari. "From what I've heard a team is being sent to retrieve it so that it can be examined. Finding working Prothean technology is quite rare since there is so little left behind during their time."

'Can't imagine why...' Mason thought darkly as he thought about the ancient empire's destruction from the Reapers...the mere thought of the genocidal machines sending a cold chill up his back when he recalled what they were capable of. "Sounds interesting. May need to check it out myself if people are able to." he said covering up his inner turmoil.

Going back to the meal, the mechanic started running more ideas through his head. Trying to figure out what his so called 'first step' should be and realizing that the coming Geth attack, the beacon and the arrival of the _Normandy_ may be connected.

'Guess I better start planning before shit hits the fan.'

After spending a bit more time with the two Asari that welcomed him into their home for the night, learning more about Zenya and her daughter before Mason retired back to his temporary room for the night.

Playing around with his omni-tool, he began learning everything that he could about current events and what to expect. One of the things he took most of the time in looking into was the codex and learning what would be considered important about the council races along with the other species in the galaxy along with the big events that have occurred in history.

The Human's discovery on Mars and acceleration through Mass Technology, the First Contact War, the Krogan Rebellions, hours slipped by without him even being aware as he engrossed himself in his research.

Eventually stopping when his eyes began to hurt, the mechanic found that it was after three in the morning and decided to turn in for the night. Laying back in his bed and shutting his eyes, worrying about doing more research in the morning as he fell into a dreamless sleep.

**X**

_He was back in the corridor, approaching the same door surrounded by a grainy black and white background. The sound of the woman crying still very clear in his ears as he faced the sealed opening. His hand reaching out and opening the door._

_Light spilled into the hallway blinding him a moment before clearing...revealing complete and utter chaos on the other side._

_A city in flames stretched out before him, buildings crumbling under a devastating assault. Giant, starship like machines in the shape of cuttlefish descending from the sky shooting beams of red from their appendages, obliterating everything in their path._

_One of the smaller machines turned his way, its front opening as a large lens contained within began to glow a sinister red. A loud scream pierced the air just as the beam fired straight for him. _

**X**

Eyes snapping open, Mason heard a loud explosion from somewhere outside that brought him back to full awareness quickly.

Leaping out of the bed, he ran to the window and saw that the skies were the color of fire. Large plumbs of smoke billowing in the distance as more explosions and gunfire could be heard in that direction.

"No...No, no, I thought I had more time!" he muttered while quickly pulling on his boots and jacket, running from the room and out into the hallway as he looked for the two Asari. "Zenya?! Leela?!" he called out as he began searching the rooms. Finding each one empty as his hope began to drop more and more.

Approaching the opening to the living room, the mechanic heard the sounds of footsteps on the tiled floor of the kitchen followed by a series of whirling clicks. Mason crouched, after playing the games as much as he had he knew those sounds all too easily.

Staying low, he moved into the living room and stopped behind one of the couches before peering out and seeing a lone Geth trooper moving about. A pulse rifle clutched in its three fingered talons while its lone, glowing optic swiveled around in search for targets.

Slipping back into cover, Mason took a deep breath to calm his heart rate. 'It's just one...but I don't have a weapon...' he looked down at his left arm and mentally facepalmed remembering his omni-tool. 'Almost forgot.' Looking back over the couch, he found the lone Geth facing away from him.

Moving along the furniture, he drew closer to the synthetic. The systematic clicks and mechanical sounds it made as it continued to look around for organics. Pressing his back to the counter as he pulled up his omni-tool, the teen looked around his cover and saw the Geth still standing there. His eyes looked over the machine closely, taking in the various wires, tubes and joints located along it's frame while his knowledge on mechanics helped him decide a point of attack.

'Going for the head would be too risky from this angle, and there's no guarantee that a shot through the torso would be enough to bring it down without knowing where it's weakest.' he thought before locking on to the thing's lower back where it's 'spine' was located. 'If they're built like regular organics...'

Standing up, he took a couple slow steps forward, flexing his thumb causing his omni-blade to fold out. The Geth's head snapped up hearing the noise behind it and Mason lunged quickly, driving the blade of hard-light into it's lower back.

The synthetic let out a noise that was a cross between an array of loud clicking and a metallic screech as sparks and white fluid gushed out around the damage. The smell of burning ozone permeating the air as the omni-blade burned metal and cybernetics within the machine.

Mason pulled the weapon free allowing the Geth to crumple to the floor on its side from the loss of leg function, giving him a new opening as he drove the blade down into the side of it's head. The optic shattering in a flash of sparks as more white fluid spewed forth and began to pool on the tiles below.

A very tense silence filled the house, the mechanic pulled his omni-blade free again and deactivated it as he looked down at the now dead synthetic. He expected to feel...off about killing something, but since it wasn't a flesh and blood person he realized that it probably didn't have the same effect.

"Thank the gods for small favors." he said lowly as he stood back up-

-Only to freeze when he heard more clicking whirling behind him. Without thinking twice he dropped to the floor again as a volley of pulse rounds tore across the counter and through the cabinets where he had been standing. A second Geth trooper flickered its optic while stepping into the house through the open front door, weapon trained on where it had seen the Human as it began to search.

Mason brought up his omni-tool again, preparing to strike back as he heard the synthetic draw closer. Breath held and muscles tense as he waited for the right moment.

Leaping up, he prepared to try an incinerate on the machine when a loud blast echoed through the house. The Geth was thrown off its feet and into the nearby wall where it crumpled in a mangled heap on the floor, it's chest blown open revealing a mangled mess of cybernetics inside that sparked and died when it did.

Stunned, Mason lowered his arm as he looked to the other side of the living room where Zenya stood dressed in a suit of armor with a shotgun clutched in her hand, barrel smoking while her daughter clung to her leg behind her.

"You alright?" she asked ejecting the spent thermal clip when she racked her weapon.

The mechanic nodded as he looked back at the downed Geth. "What the hell's going on? What are these things?" he asked playing ignorant when he already knew the answers.

"Not completely sure, but the whole colony is under attack by the Geth." said the Matriarch as she leered at the synthetic she had killed. "Though its strange that they are outside the veil, no one's seen them in 300 years."

"How bad is it out there?" Mason asked stepping over the synthetics.

Zenya looked out the window closest to her, "From what I was able to get over the radios, bad. Most of the civilians are evacuating to shelters while the Alliance presence deals with the threat." she turned back to the mechanic, pulling out a pistol from the holster on her hip and tossing it to him. "We need to leave, we're too exposed and I need to get my daughter somewhere safe. Think you can use that?"

Mason looked down at the Predator pistol she had thrown to him, turning it over in his hands as he examined it from all sides. It was a bit larger than what he had used at the shooting range with friends, but it weighed roughly the same and the design was comfortable in his hand.

Pulling the slide back and chambering the thermal clip within before addressing the Asari. "One way to find out."

**A/N: And the first steps have been taken. I tried to make the introduction into the ME universe as realistic as possible, as well as apply a good amount of mystery that needs to be solved behind how Mason got there in the first place. And I'm thinking that a few of you have a clue behind how and who could be behind it, but for those that don't, you'll just have to stay tuned.**

**Till next time my loyal readers!**


	3. Chapter 2

**A/N: Another day, another chapter to post to the web. I know a lot of you were thrown off by a few things in the last installment, mainly the thermal clip introduction and the small definition of the omni-blade. I put the thermal clip production ahead of schedule to give the feel of combat a little more detailed, although I've always hated their use compared to the ability to simply cool the weapons down when they overheat.**

**As for the omni-blade, I figured it would just be easier to call it hard-light even though it's pretty much an incorrect assumption. It's just how I've always looked at it. Anyway, despite those misgivings, I'm hoping you all will still give this story a good strong chance.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Mass Effect.**

The scenery and foliage of Eden Prime flew by as the vehicle rumbled along the dirt path. Zenya at the wheel weaving them around a few rocks and downed trees in the way. Mason in the passenger seat keeping his eyes open for anything that resembled a flashlight head.

In the back seat, Leela was hunkered down between the seats, staying out of sight and safe incase any stray bullets were fired at them. Taking the skycar that the Matriarch had parked in front of the house would have been a bad idea, being in the air while the colony was under attack would have left them wide open. So they took the land transport she had parked in the garage.

The jeep-like vehicle managed well along the rough terrain and was fast enough to outrun anything that could come after them on the ground. But they could still be in the crosshairs if there were any Geth roaming around the vicinity.

They'd been on the road for the last 15 minutes after gathering supplies from the house. The ex-commando having a small stockpile of thermal clips and medical supplies in case of emergencies like this.

Mason took out the pistol Zenya had given him, flipping the switch and unfolding the weapon to its full form as he examined it once again. He'd been more than a little confused when he saw that the weapons used thermal clips already when such designs wouldn't be available for another two years. Trying to rack his brain around such a change to the plot that usually followed this universe.

'Then again...this isn't a game anymore. So who knows what other changes there could be out there.' he mused as he went back to keeping a look out. "Where are we headed?" he asked as the transport crested over a hill revealing a settlement not too far in the distance.

"There's a shelter close to the spaceport. It's secure and well defendable, we'll be able to hole up there while we wait for reinforcements." Zenya explained. "There's no telling how strong a force the Geth has, and the number of defenders here isn't equiped to handle such a threat. Our only chance is to hold out until we're able to get help."

The mention of the spaceport had the mechanic's eyes widening a bit just as a volley of rounds peppered the side of the vehicle causing Leela to scream in the back. "Geth!" Zenya shouted spinning the wheel and swerving around a couple of platforms that came out of the trees firing on them.

Mason raised his pistol and returned fire in their direction, using his other hand to stable his aim and handle the recoil with each time he pulled the trigger. One of the Geth took a round to the shoulder and spun to the side as they got away.

"Leela? Are you alright?" he called into the backseat. The little Asari poked her head up with fear in her eyes but nodded slowly while her mother continued to drive them out of danger.

There was a loud rumble shaking the frame of the car that didn't come from the road. Mason recognized such a feeling given his major back home, and when Zenya cursed he knew that he was right that something was wrong as she pulled off to the side. Trails of black smoke beginning to rise up from under the hood.

"Pulse rounds must have hit something important with the engine. Tore right through it." said the mechanic as he got out to get a closer look. Seeing several holes the powerful bullets punched through the front.

"This thing wasn't meant for combat, the armor's too thin." said Zenya helping her daughter out of the back and setting her on the ground before drawing her shotgun. "We need to get moving, the longer we stay the more likely we'll be discovered." She took out her omni-tool and brought up a map of the area, "It should be another mile, we can cut the time if we go through the hills on the other side of this treeline."

Mason nodded as they brought their weapons up, keeping Leela safely between them as they left the car behind and began to slowly make their way through the woods. Using the trees for cover, they moved as silently as they could. Constantly checking their surroundings to be sure that they were still alone.

'Just like hunting.' the mechanic thought, treading one foot in front of the other as silently as possible to avoid making excessive noise. Straining his hearing and sweeping his gaze from side to side, his grip on the pistol firm as he led with it in front of him.

A soft yelp made his head snap to the side where Leela was picking herself up off the ground. "S-Sorry." she said with her voice quivering. Mason slipped his weapon into his jacket before kneeling down with his back to her.

"Hop on, I'll carry you." he said while keeping a look out. There was a second or two of hesitation before he felt a small pair of blue arms encircle his neck. Standing up slowly, he made sure that the young Asari's legs were secured around his middle before looking over his shoulder at her. "Comfy?" he asked smiling.

Leela nodded and smiled back. "Good. You think you can keep an eye out for me and your mom? Let us know if you see any more robots, okay." he got another nod before looking toward Zenya who gave him a smile in thanks before they started moving again. This time a little more quickly to ensure they wouldn't be discovered.

**X**

Several clicks away, a lone frigate came down from the atmosphere. Stealth systems on full to avoid detection as it hovered above the ground. _"We are approaching drop point two."_ came the voice of the ship's pilot, one Jeff 'Joker' Moreau, as he unloaded the three-man team to the surface.

Two men and one female had weapons in hand as they scanned the drop point for hostiles. "Ship perimeter secure, Commander." said Kaiden Alenko keeping his pistol up and biotics ready.

Commander Jennifer Shepard swept her assault rifle in a slow arc before nodding. "Alright, the beacon's location should be roughly a click due West. We'll have to move along the path way around this rock formation to get there." she looked toward the third member of her team. "Jenkins, you're a local. You'll be our guide on this hunt."

Jenkins nodded and gave her a thumbs up, "Yes, ma'am."

"Let's move out gentlemen." she ordered as they began heading in the direction of their objective.

**X**

It took roughly twenty minutes before they made it out of the small forest. Facing a cluster of rocks that led to the top of a small hill. "The spaceport should be just over that ridge up there." Zenya said pointing to the top.

Mason nodded, adjusting the position of his little passenger as they started to head up. The added weight on his back not hindering him at all the entire time given his usual workout regiment he endured back home. They moved up the winding path, not having seen any Geth since the encounter back on the road but still very tense in the off chance they encountered any.

'They probably were sent to secure the beacon, and keep any trespassers away.' the mechanic thought as he kept his pistol lowered to the ground until he spotted something hostile. "Any idea what the Geth could be after?" he asked playing off his acting role again.

"Can't be sure. Though it's too much of a coincidence that they showed up not long after the Prothean Beacon was dug up." said the Matriarch with a scowl.

"Makes sense." he replied, feeling Leela shift on his back a bit, "Probably after the technology. Though it seems odd that they'd come out of hiding for almost 300 years after something like that."

Zenya just shrugged as they stepped on to the top of the ridge...freezing in their tracks when they saw what waited for them. "...by the Goddess..."

Set out before them were five devices, resembling electronic tables with long spikes that shot up into the air. And on those spikes, were human corpses. Though with the way they looked one wouldn't be able to tell since the skin was all but peeled away and the muscle and skeleton structures were made up of glowing blue and black cybernetics.

Mason swallowed the bile that raised in his throat, this wasn't like seeing them in the game. The Husks you could tell were fake...but now, they definitely looked like something out of a horror movie. And the smell, a cross between burning ozone and decay permeating the air making his nose burn with each inhale.

"What...what happened to them...?" Leela whimpered as her grip tightened on the teen's shoulders.

"I've never seen something like this before..." Zenya said, her voice strong but Mason could hear the undertones of horror and disgust. "What have the Geth done to them?"

Taking a deep breath, Mason gently set Leela on the ground and led her over to her mother. "We can't help them now, let's just keep moving." he said lowly. Afraid that his voice would awaken the synthetic-undead from their slumber.

The Matriarch steeled herself and nodded as they started moving again, keeping a wide berth from the pylons as they headed toward their destination.

Barely making it a handful of steps, the trio froze when they heard a mechanical whine from close by. Turning back to the pylons, they watched as one of the spikes collapsed in on itself, lowering the corpse that had been skewered on it closer to the ground until its back laid flat on the lower base.

There was a tense silence, then the hand of the corpse twitched. It's eyes snapping open revealing a bright neon-blue as it slowly sat up, slipping off of the machine and standing on shaking legs before standing upright with a slight hunch. A groan that sounded like sorrow mixed with a blender on full blast echoed from its throat as it looked at the three organics with a face devoid of anything.

Zenya had her weapon up, Mason right behind her as the Husk stood motionless. Leela clinging to the back of both their legs as she watched the thing in fear. A moment passed before the synthetic let loose a piercing screech before sprinting straight for them.

The sound of a shotgun blast rebounded off the rock walls as the shot blew a chunk from the Husk's shoulder. But it kept coming ignorant to the attack as it closed the gap quickly. Mason took aim and fired as well, hitting it in the chest twice but it still refused to go down.

Thinking fast, he aimed for the head and pulled the trigger. The round punching through the glowing skull and sending sparks and black ichor bursting out the back of the creature's head, causing it to pitch forward and hit the dirt face first unmoving.

"Guess that still works like the movies." he couldn't help but mutter as he knelt down and looked the body over. The smell from before almost overpowering as he observed the handy work that could have only been done with the Reapers' influence. The sheer thought of someone being turned into something like this making him shutter as he stood back up, going to say something to the two Asari when he heard the familiar whining noise from a moment ago.

The remaining spikes began to lower at the same time, carrying the newly finished Husks to the ground. "RUN!" Mason shouted as the three of them took off as fast as they could, the synthetic-undead behind them waking up and groaning as they sat up and began to go after them.

Boots hitting dirt, firing over his shoulder with his pistol at the pursuing Husks. The teen managed to hit one in the leg and making it topple over before having to reload. Ejecting the spent thermal clip on the ground and slamming a fresh one home.

Zenya did the same, spinning around and firing her shotgun at the creatures. Scoring a hit that blew a hole in the chest of the lead Husk before her body began glowing with dark-blue energy. Snapping her free hand out, the energy surged forward in the form of a ball that struck the ground in front of the remaining synthetics and exploded into a miniature black hole.

The gravity well of the singularity picking the Husks up and spinning them slowly in the air allowing Mason and Zenya to shoot their helpless forms before the attack faded, dropping their corpses on to the ground lifeless once more.

With the threat gone, the trio took a moment to gather their breath as they checked their situation a little better. "I don't know what's going on around here, but there better be some heavily armored reinforcements en route." said the Matriarch while racking her weapon and injecting a new thermal clip.

Mason took the time to check his pistol, finding the thermal clip already half used and with only two spares in his pocket. "How much farther to the shelter?" he asked.

"Not far, around the next corner and down the slope. The colonists built it a small distance from the spaceport incase something happened close by. With any luck, the Geth haven't discovered it yet." Zenya replied, taking out a small canteen of water and giving her daughter a drink before taking one herself, offering it to Mason a moment later who took it gratefully.

Once they started moving again, following along the path through the rocks while a little more aware of their surroundings than before after their encounter with the Husks, they didn't encounter anymore hostility. The distant sound of gunshots far away from where they were the only thing filling the air save for their footfalls on the dirt.

Turning the corner and heading down, the Matriarch paused when they were halfway to the ground. Motioning with her hand quickly for them to get down as they crouched and moved up slowly on to a small high-rise that overlooked the area below.

At the base of the hills was a clearing dotted with a couple of trees and a few metal box-shaped shacks on the outer perimeter, in the center of the clearing was a metal and stone structure that looked like the entrance to a bunker that led under the surface.

But as it turned out the Geth had found the place as well. six troopers stood around the clearing while a seventh was crouched in front of the metal door leading into the bunker attempting to hack into the locking systems.

Zenya cursed silently as they observed the opposition from their vantage point. "That's the entrance to the safe house, and if that Geth managed to break the lock anyone inside won't stand a chance."

"Are there any other ways inside?" asked Mason as he looked from each Geth platform along with the terrain.

"No. And we don't have enough thermal clips to deal with that many." said the Matriarch. "Even with my biotics, they'll overwhelm us before we made it to the door."

The mechanic continued looking around them, his eyes finding a smaller path that led down the slope parallel to the one they had been following that led down to the other side of the clearing. He looked from the new path to the Geth down below and back again before looking at the mother and child next to him, taking a deep breath and steeling himself.

"Zenya." the Asari looked his way, "Can you get into the shelter while it's locked?"

She tilted her head at him, "Yes. Most of the colonists are given lock keys to the safe houses on their omni-tools incase of emergencies...why?"

Mason pulled out his pistol and looked at her with a serious expression, "Take Leela and start making your way down. I'll take this other path that leads down the other direction, wait for my signal, then make a break for it."

There was confusion, then Zenya's eyes widened when she realized what he was saying, "Mason, no!"

"I'll draw their attention." he said ignoring her. "Get yourself and your daughter to safety." he went to move when Leela wrapped her arms around him and squeezed with everything she had.

"Don't go! They'll kill you!" she pleaded while holding him even tighter.

The mechanic held her back, "I'll be alright. But you two need to get into the shelter away from the Geth." he pulled back and smiled at her. "You and your mom helped me when I needed it most, and right now I'm going to do the same. So I need you to be strong for your mom, okay?"

Leela looked unsure, Mason set his pistol aside before shrugging off his denim jacket, making sure the pockets were empty before slipping it over her shoulders. "I'll come back for this some time." he said as he adjusted the large jacket over the small Asari's frame. "So you just hold on to it for me until we meet again, sound good?"

The girl hugged the article close and nodded as he looked toward Zenya who had tears in her eyes and smile of her own, "Are you sure about this?" she asked.

The mechanic gave her a nod, no words being needed as he began moving down the side path slow and silent. Keeping low to the ground to avoid detection with his pistol in hand, stopping to peer over the rocks that masked his movement to be sure that the Geth on station didn't see him yet.

Making it to the bottom in half a minute, he slipped along the grass to the back of one of the shacks around the outside of the clearing. Pressing his back to the wall, he looked around the edge and finding no changes save for one of the platforms taking a few steps away from its last position.

He didn't have to kill all of them, just take their attention away from the shelter long enough for Zenya and Leela to get inside.

Taking another deep breath, he moved a little lower until he was prone and began crawling underneath the shack itself, the space just big enough for him to fit under as he crawled along the ground to find a better position.

Now immersed in the shadows beneath the structure, Mason began to think of possible strategies when a sliver of light caught his attention. Moving over to it, he found the underside of the shack made up of panels. One of which was loose and giving him an idea.

'This could work.' he thought, setting the pistol down and reaching up to press against the loose panel. There was a soft groan that made him freeze, breath stilled in his throat as he hopped the Geth didn't hear it.

Several seconds went by without incident making him sigh in relief. Going back to the panel, he pushed a little harder until it came free, moving it aside to make an opening and causing light to spill into the crawl space below as he pulled himself up through.

After recollecting his pistol, Mason looked around the room he found himself in. Barely big enough to hold five or six people, there was a set of bunk beds to his right and a long desk with chairs to his left facing a window that took up half the wall. There was a locker that was open by the beds, but it was the sight before him that caused him to pale.

Laying on the floor before him were the bodies of two men in dark-blue armor. One face down with the other face up with blood pooling under their forms from the multiple bullet holes punched through them. Their shoulder pads and chest plates marked with the symbol for the Alliance Navy along with their rank.

"Jesus..." the teen muttered as he moved over to the bodies. They'd been dead for a while, this much he could figure out. Most likely taken down while trying to defend the shelter's entrance. The marine on his back had a weapon laying not too far from him, it looked like a rifle, but a closer look had Mason smirking at his good fortune.

It was an Avenger assault rifle, picking it up, he tested the weight in his hands and found it very manageable and surprisingly light compared to what he was expecting. Checking the thermal clip, he found it ready to use with no issues whatsoever.

The sound of clicking outside had his head snapping up, reminding him of the situation before looking back down at the marines and began checking their armor. Feeling a bit guilty for pilfering off the dead, but it was better than facing a squad of Geth without enough supplies.

Managing to find a handful of thermal clips, a grenade, and two tubes of medi-gel, he moved over to the locker and peered inside for something to help him carry it all and found something that looked like a rig harness with stachels attached to it.

Taking it out, Mason slung the harness over himself and buckled it in place. A small box on the belt portion of it hummed softly as moment as blue lights came on around it. He looked up when a blue shimmer in the shape of a bubble surrounded him for a moment before fading, telling him that this rig must have also had kinetic barriers built into it.

Satisfied with his findings, and very glad as well, he stored the thermal clips, medigel and grenade into the rig's pouches for safe keeping. Clipping the now folded up Predator pistol on his left side as he picked up the assault rifle and moved toward the open door. Looking back out into the clearing and finding nothing had changed.

Movement on the other side behind a pile of rocks told him that Zenya and Leela were there waiting. 'Alright.' he brought up his omni-tool, the Avenger held in his other hand while aiming at the closest Geth trooper. Flicking his index finger, the device glowed before launching a flaming ball of plasma straight forward.

The incinerate struck the platforms back and spread along its armor, the synthetic emitting a piercing mechanical screech. Its insides boiling and melting from the super heated plasma as it began to malfunction and flail around.

The noise attracted the attention of the other Geth who all looked in the direction of the damaged unit. Mason raised the assault rifle to his shoulder and fired a controlled burst into the next one, handling the recoil as the rounds peppered its armor and spraying white fluid into the air before it collapsed to the ground beside the one that was burning.

Clicks and whirls echoed through the clearing as the optics of the synthetics turned in his direction, raising their weapons and unleashing a barrage of pulse rounds at the shack. The teen ducking back when the salvo came through the doorway, the window on the wall behind him shattering under the assault sending glass scattering everywhere.

He waited until their was a pause before leaning out and shooting again, aiming a little higher and managing to hit one directly in the optic and taking it down. A flash of blue behind their ranks told him that the two Asari were on the move. "Come on you fucking lamp posts! I've seen A-Track players with better skill!" he shouted out loud to keep their attention centered on him, opening fire again and spraying rounds that covered the sound of a shotgun blast by the shelter as Zenya took care of the Geth trying to hack the door.

A moment later the Matriarch swipped her omni-tool over the door before she and her daughter ran inside. Leela sending one last look his way before the door sealed shut and relocked itself.

Another storm of pulse rounds forced Mason back into cover as he reloaded the Avenger. The three remaining Geth platforms began to slowly converge on the shack, keeping the pressure on making it impossible for him to shoot back. "Shit, need an exit strategy." he mumbled before looking back at the way he came in, glancing back at the bullet riddled doorway before making his move.

**X**

The Geth platforms stormed the shack, weapons raised as they began scanning the room. Their optics swiveling around in search for the Human that had been attacking them, their programming demanding his termination. Stepping over the dead soldiers they had killed before, they found no signs of the lone Human.

One of the platforms moved over to the open panel in the floor, its optic shuttering as it made a series of clicks. It looked up when its vison saw something moving off to the side. A metal disk came in through the window and bounced off the floor. A red light on the top began to blink quickly before it detonated with an explosion that destroyed the room and rattled the small building on its weak foundation.

Inside, the synthetics were reduced to salvage amongst the destroyed furniture and blackened walls. The vicinity returning to complete silence.

**X**

Mason slowed his run to a light jog before stopping completely, looking back over his shoulder as the explosion faded behind him. It was a well executed plan, and despite the fact that the Geth were synthetic intelligence didn't mean that they couldn't be fooled.

He smiled to himself, knowing that the two Asari were now safe and out of harms way before turning toward the spaceport that wasn't too much farther away. Reaching back and unslinging the Avenger from the magnet lock on the harness over his shoulder, the weapon unfolding in his hands as he breathed slowly.

"One hell of a 'first step'." he couldn't help but say as he started making his way to the cluster of buildings ahead.

**X**

Within the spaceport, a lone Turian wearing black and red armor with white markings covering his face moved amongst a cluster of crates. Crouching down behind one when he saw movement, he waited a breath before standing, assault rifle at the ready.

But he paused, mouth falling open and mandibles flared a bit when he saw someone unexpected. "Saren?" he asked shocked.

A second Turian turned slowly and looked his way. Most of his body covered in cybernetic implants including his entire left arm. His sharp, semi-glowing blue eyes locking on to the one before him. "Nihlus." Saren said back calmly.

"This isn't your mission, Saren. What are you doing here?" asked Nihlus approaching his fellow Specter and mentor.

Saren put a hand on his shoulder, "The Council thought you could use some help on this one." he walked past the other Turian and stood facing the other direction.

Nihlus looked around the spaceport and shook his head, "I wasn't expecting to find the Geth here. The situation's bad."

"Don't worry." Saren turned and trained a pistol on the back of the other Turian's head. "I've got it under control."

_Bang!_

**A/N: And the beginning has truly begun. I'm still attempting to make the situation Mason is in as realistic as I can, though anyone in his position would do whatever they can to survive and rely on what skills they have. And I know the time with Zenya and Leela was cut short, but they may make an appearance later down the road.**

**As for the direction of this story, it's going to cover all three games, DLC content, and the time gap between them. I'm still trying to decide whether or not to put it all into one large story or split it into three separate ones. Though I'll make my choice close to the end of this arc of it.**

**Keep the reviews coming guys, and I'll update as soon as I can.**


	4. Chapter 3

**A/N: With two chapters in one day's time, I've hit my stride with this story like the others before it. And with how I left the last chapter I didn't want you guys waiting in the wings too long. Now it's time for the two heros of this fic to meet at last.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Mass Effect.**

Commander Shepard snapped her head up when she heard the loud gunshot that rang off somewhere ahead of them. Holding up her fist, the two following her halted as they listened for anything more.

"Did you guys hear that?" she asked while keeping her assault rifle level.

"Was it our side or theirs?" asked Gunnery Chief Ashley Williams keeping her own rifle at the ready.

"Can't tell, but it came from somewhere ahead of us. Stay sharp." said the Commander.

"Aye, aye ma'am." said Kaidan as they started moving again. Coming up over a hill before them that overlooked the spaceport and gave a good view of the scenery beyond. The three soldiers stopping mid-stride when they saw something massive rising into the sky. Easily bigger than any ship they had seen before with an array of 'arms' along its sides and base, volts of red lightning and smoke trailing behind it as it gained more and more altitude.

"What the hell is that?!" the biotic shouted as they stood motionless.

"It's a ship! Look at the size of it!" Ashley exclaimed as the dreadnaught rose higher and higher until it faded from view.

Jen watched the strange ship fade, shaking her head to get back into the present before turning to her subordinates. "We need to get moving. The beacon has to be here somewhere." the others nodded as they began making their way toward the spaceport. A handful of Geth and Husks rising up to greet them as they exchanged fire with one another.

**X**

Mason looked up with a sense of foreboding as he watched Sovereign rising into the air. His spot on top a small hill overlooking the spaceport giving him a perfect view as the Reaper pulled out. A chill going up his spine knowing the full gravity of what that thing and the rest of its kind was capable of.

So lost in his thoughts, he nearly jumped when the sounds of gunfire came from close by. Bringing up his Avenger, he headed in the general direction of the sounds. 'Not usually a good idea to go 'toward the sounds of combat'." he thought shaking his head. 'But it means that there are others still around fighting. And given the standing of things, Shepard can't be too far.'

This in mind, he double timed it as he went down the hill and found himself in the loading area for the port. Moving behind a stack of crates, he peered around the outer edge and saw a group of three armored Humans fighting against a group of Geth and a few Husks.

Mason gripped his rifle when he saw a few more Geth came out from the crate stacks across from him, clenching his teeth as he rolled out of cover and opened fire.

Short controlled bursts hitting one synthetic in their center of mass and toppling it over. The remaining Geth immediately taking notice of a new hostile and turned to engage forcing the teen to drop down behind a low wall when a few rounds bounced off his newly acquired kinetic barrier.

Leaping up, omni-tool flaring, he fired an incinerate at the closest platform and set it ablaze before expelling the rest of his thermal clip into the one standing beside it. Popping the glowing cartridge and fishing out a new one, he saw a bright blue glow on his left and barely had second to register it before a blast of electricity hit him.

The sound of glass breaking, which could have only been his shields being taken down, was overlooked as he was thrown to the dirt. His assault rifle clattering to the ground out of his reach. The Husk that had super-charged itself screeched as it charged after Mason, throwing itself on to the mechanic and attempting to claw and bite at him where it could.

Struggling against the synthetic-zombie, Mason did his best to keep the thing from tearing into him. But the Husk was incredibly strong thanks to all of the cybernetic implants that had been forced into it.

Pressing his boot into the creature's stomach, he forced it back enough to raise his left arm and unfold his omni-blade. When the Husk went in to snap at him with its teeth, he jammed the weapon straight into its chest, forcing the blade as deep as it could go until it pierced out the back. Sparks shot out and black ichor oozed down the teen's arm, gritting his teeth as the Husk continued to struggle to get at him wincing as its clawed hand racked up his right bicep leaving deep scratches in his skin that burned and bled.

There was a brief flash and the Husk was thrown off, Mason rolled over and caught sight of a black armored boot pressing the synthetic to the ground as its owner emptied a thermal clip into it and putting it down for good.

The armored woman turned toward the mechanic, she wore a black suit with red and white lining on the side. But it was the 'N7' symbol on her breast-plate that gave her identity away almost instantly. 'Shepard.' he thought as the woman held a hand out to him.

"You okay?" she asked, her voice sounding just like it did in the game.

Taking the hand as she helped him up, Mason nodded as he looked at the Husk that got the jump on him. "Yeah, thanks. Bastard got me when I was focusing on the Geth." They both looked over just as Ashley and Kaidan were approaching.

"All hostiles eliminated, Commander." said Kaidan before glancing at the teen. "Another survivor?"

"Something like that." the Commander replied as Mason walked over to his dropped assault rifle and picked it up. Reloading a fresh thermal clip as he turned back to the marines.

Shepard reached up and removed her helmet, revealing an angelic face with pale skin. Her black hair was cropped short to military standards, and her piercing green eyes grabbed your attention almost instantly. She also had a scar that ran over her left eyebrow down to her cheek, the faded mark contrasting against her complexion but didn't take away the aura of respect and honor she exuded.

"Commander Jennifer Shepard, Alliance Navy." she introduced. "This is Lieutenant Alenko and Gunnery Chief Williams."

Mason snapped out of the slight stupor he had been in seeing the Commander's face, "Mason Riley. Good to see the Alliance sent people in to handle the Geth. Still can't believe the bastards hit this place." he said reverting to his acting role.

"You don't look familiar, are you new?" asked Ashley looking over his face.

"In a matter of speaking. I got here the other day just before the attack. Been surviving any way I could since." the teen replied looking around them to be sure everything was clear. He caught Kaidan and Shepard doing the same.

"That was some impressive skill back there." said the Commander looking over the downed Geth. "You Alliance?"

Mason shook his head, "No, ma'am. Though I've trained myself in hand to hand and small arms in my free time. The Geth may not be like organics, but they're just machines, and they can be overcome if you know how to get around what strengths they may have."

Shepard nodded, "What do you know about the Prothean Beacon? We were sent here to retrieve it when all of this started."

"You mean that thing the whole colony's been in an uproar about?" the teen asked keeping ignorant to his knowledge. "Haven't seen it, but if there was anything that these things were looking for, that would definitely be it. If the Alliance personnel here were trying to get it off world for safety then they would have probably brought it this way."

"We should get going again, Commander." said Kaidan. "If he's right, then we have a chance at getting the beacon before the Geth can get to it."

Nodding, the Commander looked back at Mason. "What are your plans, Riley?"

He shrugged, "Looking to kick a little more ass. Think you could use another set of eyes and ears?" he mentally crossed his fingers, hoping that they would let him come along on their mission.

"He may not be Alliance, but he can definitely handle the Geth." said Ashley observing one of the bullet riddled platforms nearby. "And another gun watching our backs wouldn't be a bad idea, ma'am."

Shepard looking into the mechanic's eyes, holding his gaze for a few moments and making him feel as though he were under a microscope before she nodded. "Stick close to us and follow my orders, understood?" she said sternly.

Mason nodded back, "I won't slow you down, ma'am." The Commander's lips curled slightly before she pulled her helmet back on, motioning for them to move out as they began making their way into the spaceport's entrance. Stepping on to the raised platform leading to the trams and pausing when they saw the body of a Turian laying on the ground with a puddle of blue blood surrounding him.

"Commander. It's Nihlus." said Kaidan kneeling down to check the body. Looking up at the group and shaking his head.

"A Turian?" asked Ashley skeptically. "You guys know him?" Shepard nodded as she looked down at the dead Spectre, wondering what happened to him and if that gunshot from earlier was the cause.

Mason looked down at Nihlus' form, a bit down that he wasn't able to help ensure his life wasn't taken. But it couldn't be helped at this point. He looked toward some crates on the side, seeing movement and snapping his Avenger up, "Four o'clock! Got movement behind the crates!"

The soldiers all had their weapons ready, a man in a dock worker's uniform came stumbling out with his hands in the air. "Wait! Don't-Don't shoot! I'm one of you! I'm Human!" he shouted.

"Sneaking up on us like that nearly got you killed!" Shepard said slowly lowering her pistol.

"I...I'm sorry. I was hiding. From those creatures." said the worker lowering his arms. "My name's Powell. I saw what happened to that Turian. The other one shot him."

The Commander nodded, "I need to know how Nihlus died, what did you see?"

Powell ran a hand over his head. "The other one got here first. He was waiting when your friend showed up. He called him 'Saren'. I think they knew each other." he explained. "Your friend seemed to relax. He let his guard down...and Saren killed him. Shot him right in the back. I'm just lucky he didn't see me behind the crates."

Mason tightened the grip on his rifle hearing the name, sending a fleeting look at Nihlus as Shepard spoke again. "We were told that a Prothean Beacon may have been brought through here. What happened to it?"

"It's over on the other platform, on the other side of the port. Probably where that guy Saren headed. He hopped on the cargo tram right after he killed your friend." said the worker. "I knew that beacon was trouble. Everything's gone to hell since we found it. First that damn mother ship showed up. Then the attack. They killed everyone. Everyone! If I hadn't been behind the crates I'd be dead, too!"

"Why didn't anyone else have a chance to hide?" asked Kaidan.

"They never had a chance. I...I was already behind the crates when the attack started." said Powell.

"Hold up." Mason said getting their attention. "You were behind the crates _before_ the attack? Mind explaining that a little more for us?" he asked resting his assault rifle on his shoulder.

The man shook his head, "I...sometimes I need a nap to get through my shift. I sneak off behind the crates to grab forty winks where the supervisor can't find me." he relented.

"You survived because you're lazy?" Ashley said heatedly.

Shepard held up her hand telling the chief to calm down. "If you hadn't snuck off for that nap you'd be dead just like the others."

Powell sighed, "Yeah. Yeah, I guess. I don't really want to think about it." Mason listened in as a few more questions were asked, looking off toward where the cargo tram was located and made his way over while the Commander questioned the dock worker about the attack and the ship that came down earlier.

Moving along the wall, he peeked around the corner and saw two Geth troopers making their way toward his location. "Not fucking likely, assholes." he muttered, bringing out his omni-blade and waiting for the right moment.

When the first one rounded the corner, pulse rifle raised, it wasn't expecting the glowing orange blade to pierce through its chest. It stuttered and clicked like crazy from the sudden turn. The other platform raised its own weapon, but Mason used the Geth impaled on his omni-blade as a shield as rounds peppered its back. Raising his assault rifle under its arm he returned fire, spraying rounds and offlining it before it even had a chance to get him.

Kicking the dead Geth off his weapon, he looked down at the synthetics and couldn't help but feel a little elated at how effective he was fighting these things. Of course he did training and was well educated in firearms from the times at the shooting range and hunting. Maybe he had a chance after all.

Though, he knew things were going to get a lot rougher very soon.

"What the hell happened?" He looked up and saw Shepard and the others jogging up to join him.

"Two Geth tried to get the drop on us, put them down before they became a problem." the mechanic replied kicking one of the platforms on the ground.

"Impressive." Ashley muttered looking at the damage he did against the hostiles.

The Commander approached him, "I can understand your reasoning, but don't go off like that again on your own. We work as a team, understand?" she said in a tone that left no argument.

"Yes, ma'am." Mason said seriously as they began moving as a group again. The teen looked up when he felt a hand on his arm and saw Kaidan standing by him.

"We lost a man when we first arrived. Corporal Jenkins. A couple of recon drones tore through his shields and armor before he even had a chance." he explained. "And now with Nihlus dead..." he let the words hang in the air to get his point across.

"It's good to know that she cares for those that are on her team." said the mechanic

Kaidan smiled, "That's just the way she is. An effective battle tactician, efficient in firearms, and she has a good heart off the battlefield. One of the reasons she's the hero of the Blitz."

'War hero Shepard then.' thought Mason now having a piece of the Commander's backstory. The team of four went down the stairs and neared a cargo tram that was waiting for them, but so was a squad of Geth, one of which was a Destroyer that immediately opened fire on them.

"Scatter!" Shepard called out as they broke off. She and Kaidan taking to a low wall half way ahead on the rear car with Mason and Ashley ducking behind a crate across from them. The team returning fire and taking a platform down before having to get back into cover when the bigger synthetic fired an explosive shot their way.

Kaidan rose up, omni-tool flaring as he launched an overload that struck the larger Geth's shields and took them down with a burst of static. "It's shields are down!" he called out as they all resumed shooting.

Mason got up next, Ashley on his right firing her assault rifle as he fired an incinerate with his own omni-tool that struck the Destroyer in the chest, the heated plasma splashing across its chest and melting its armor. Shepard took the distraction and drew her sniper rifle, sighting the larger platform's head and squeezing the trigger.

The Destroyer's head exploded in a shower of sparks, it's body crumpling to the ground like dead weight. "Move up!" she ordered as they stayed crouched and treaded farther up the tram, ducking out of sight when a few rounds came their way the closer they got to the front.

Getting behind a wall when he saw his shields break, Mason waited for them to charge before leaning out and spraying rounds at the closest synthetic. Ashley adding her own assault and finishing it off while the other two took the last one quickly.

"Nice shooting." said the Gunnery Chief patting his shoulder as they got up and headed toward the controls in the front car.

"Doing what I can with what I got." replied the teen. "I may not have combat experience, but I know my way around a situation." 'Granted it was all in a video game.' he couldn't help but add mentally.

"You look pretty young to be traveling on your own. How old are you?" asked Kaidan.

"I'm 19. Old enough to be a recruit by Alliance standards." said the mechanic.

Shepard looked up from the tram controls, "You said you arrived the other day before the attack, what are you doing on Eden Prime anyway?"

Mason looked at the ground a moment in thought, "My folks died recently. I just needed time from everything to get by head on straight again. I came here by accident, but I figured some place that's considered a paradise would be a good place to relax for a while." Not completely the truth, but close enough.

The Commander looked at him solumnly, "Sorry to hear that. Guess this isn't really much of a vacation now, huh?"

"Maybe, though a chance to do some good, take down a bunch of homicidal robots for the sake of saving lives would make my folks proud." he said smiling.

Shepard smiled back before activating the tram, causing the front car to detach from the rest and start moving down the track. Mason reloaded his Avenger and prepared for the next onslaught as they rode through the spaceport.

**X**

On the other end of the facility, Saren moved toward a lone Geth Shocktrooper that was before him. "Set the charges. Destroy the entire colony. Leave no evidence that we were here." he ordered.

The Geth platform clicked in confirmation before setting out to do its designated task while the Turian made his way to the Prothean beacon that was set up on the other side of the platform. Wisps of green energy emitting from the tall device as he stood in front of it for a moment before being hoisted in the air by an unseen force.

Elsewhere, the Geth forces finished setting large explosive devices around their section of the spaceport. After arming the last one, a Geth Shocktrooper looked toward the nearby tram station as the mobile platform approached with four humans standing upon it.

**X**

The tram came to a stop at the station and the team stepped off, all four of them seeing a large bomb set up by the ramp leading to the second level. "Bomb! The Geth must have set it up to destroy the colony!" Ashley exclaimed.

"Kaidan, disarm the bomb! We'll cover you!" Shepard ordered. The Lieutenant jogged to the device and immediately started hacking into it with his omni-tool while the Commander, Ashley and Mason surrounded him to be sure nothing flanked them.

A few seconds later, there was a soft chime as the red lights on the explosive deactivated. "It's done, but I matched the frequency from the bomb with three others in the area meaning there are more." he said standing up and drawing his pistol. "We got less than five minutes before they all detonate!"

"Then we better get moving before it's too late." said Mason hefting his assault rifle.

"Agreed, move out!" said Shepard as they started searching for the other bombs. Going up the nearby ramp up to the second level and following along the catwalk above.

"The next bomb is just up ahead. just behind-" Kaidan was cut off when a barrage of pulse rounds peppered their barriers, forcing them into cover as a squad of Geth came out of hiding. The team returned fire on them, Ashley priming a grenade and flinging it toward them, the resounding explosion taking two out and crippling another allowing the others to take it out.

Shepard took out her sniper rifle and looked to the others, "Kaidan! Get to the bomb and disarm it! Ash, Mason go with him and defend, I'll draw their attention!" She rose up and sniped the head off of one platform allowing the trio to make a run for the other side.

A Geth Shocktrooper came out from behind a wall to intercept them, but a biotic throw from the Lieutenant sent it flying off the platform and crashing down on to the tram track below. He led the other two behind a pillar on the left where a second bomb was set up against the wall, falling to one knee and immediately getting to work while Mason and Ashley covered him.

"How much time we got LT?" asked the Gunnery Chief, keeping the stock of her rifle firmly against her shoulder as they heard Shepard's sniper rifle crack twice.

"Just over four minutes..." he replied just before the device shut down. "That's two. Two more to go!"

Mason looked the Commander's way, "Shepard we're clear-WHOA!" he ducked down when a sniper round missed his head by barely an inch.

"Sniper!" Ashley called out as she opened up, dropping down when a round struck the pillar next to her. Shepard sprinted their way, sliding across the ground and pressing against a wall ahead of them. Leaning out and looking down the scope of her rifle and taking a breath before pulling the trigger.

The weapon cracked and the body of a Geth farther down the platform collapsed to the ground. Three more troopers walked past it with pulse rifles blazing. "Kaidan, lift!" the Commander called out while chambering a fresh thermal clip.

Moving out of cover, the Lieutenant glowed with biotic energy before snapping his hand out. The three synthetics found themselves encased in the same energy and rose off the ground clicking wildly.

Mason raised his assault rifle and sprayed the helpless Geth, Ashley and Shepard doing the same until they all dropped to the ground. "Next bomb's up ahead!" Kaidan exclaimed as they started moving up, stopping by the next explosive and quickly shutting it down before going on to find the last one.

"Nervous?" Ashley asked the teen as she shot down another Geth Trooper that came out of hiding.

He reloaded just as they reached the last explosive, "Nah, bloods pumping pretty good though." he replied as the Lieutenant took care of the bomb, all of them letting out a sigh of relief.

"Nice work everyone." said the Commander before turning toward the opening that led to another platform next to where the bomb was set up, switching to her assault rifle. "Now let's find that beacon." confirmation all around, they headed in that direction, finding themselves overlooking a small docking area where several large crates were set up below.

And among the crates was the glowing form of the Prothean beacon.

"There it is!" Ashley said pointing toward it.

"Well then what are we waiting for?" asked Mason as they all moved a little more quickly down the catwalk and the ramp at the end. The team of four coming to a stop when they were greeted with the sight of four sets of dragon's teeth lowering to the ground and unleashing four Husks on them.

"Open fire!" Shepard shouted as they tore into the synthetic-undead. Rounds tearing into their cybernetic flesh and spraying the ground with their blackened blood. Two of them managed to reach the team, one was greeted with the butt of the Commander's rifle while the other met the heel of Mason's boot as he kicked it off its feet.

The two expelled the rest of their thermal clips into the creatures' heads putting them down while Kaidan and Ashley finished off the others.

A moment of silence passed as they all took the time to reload and check the area to be sure they were in the clear. "We're good, ma'am." said Ashley once they made a good sweep.

Shepard nodded and got on her comm, "_Normandy_, the beacon is secure. Request immediate evac."

Kaidan, Ashley and Mason all stepped a little closer to the device. The teen looking it over with careful eyes in wonder seeing the device in real life. It looked far more advanced and alien-like than what he was expecting.

"This is amazing." said Kaidan in awe. "Actual working Prothean technology. Unbelievable!"

"It wasn't doing anything like that when they dug it up." said Ashley confused. "Maybe something activated it when it was moved." Kaidan gave the device one last look and went over to the Commander who stepped a little further away while talking over the radio.

Mason looked after them, eyebrows furrowing when he felt a pulse of energy wash over him. Spinning around, he saw Ashley being dragged toward the device. Struggling every inch of the way but unable to break free from the unseen force.

Looking back toward Shepard, he saw that her back was still turned and had no idea what was going on, and she was too far away to do anything before it was too late. "Fuck me!" he muttered before running toward Ashley. "Gotcha!" he shouted as he tried to pull her away, the force stronger than anything he had ever felt before.

Gritting his teeth, he pulled with all his might and managed to throw the female soldier to the side...but now he was the one being pulled toward the beacon. He struggled against it, but the harder he tried the more difficult it became.

'Oh this just isn't my fucking day!' he screamed in his head as he saw the beacon glowing brighter.

Shepard and Kaidan had seen what was happening when the mechanic had thrown Ashley out of the way and ran over, just in time to see Mason get yanked into the air. "MASON!" the Commander screamed trying to run up to him.

"COMMANDER NO! DON'T TOUCH HIM! IT'S TOO DANGEROUS!" Kaidan shouted while holding her back.

_Images ripped through his mind too fast to see clearly. Death. Chaos. Devastation. He saw flesh melting and being replaced with cybernetics. People screaming in agony like a banshee's shriek. Worlds burning to ash._

_No hope._

_No salvation._

_It was the end._

The beacon exploded, the blast sending the teen hurling back and crashing on to the ground. Blood dripping from his nose, his head feeling like it was about to cave in on itself as his eyes rolled into the back of his head. He could barely make out the others screaming his name as his consciousness left him.

**X**

Shepard dropped down next to the fallen teen, checking his vitals as Ashley did the same on the other side. "Mason?! Mason can you hear me?!" she said trying to wake him up. The trail of blood coming down from his nose concerned her greatly, wondering what the beacon had done to him.

"God, Commander it's my fault." Ashley said shaking her head. "If I hadn't gotten too close to that thing-"

"Now's not the time, Chief." said Kaidan as he stood guard, all the while glancing at Mason's prone form.

"He's right, right now we need to get help." said the Commander pressing her comm again. "_Normandy_ we have a situation! I need the medical team on standby when you arrive ASAP! We have wounded." she looked down at Mason.

A few seconds later the loud hum of the _Normandy's_ engines could be heard as it approached. The cargo doors opened revealing a squad of marines coming down the ramp weapons ready. Doctor Chakwas and a couple of her aids right behind them as they approached the Commander and her team.

After a brief explanation to all of them, the medical team loaded Mason on to a stretcher and wheeled him toward the ship, Shepard right with them while Kaidan and Ashley helped the marines gather the pieces of the destroyed beacon and loaded them on board.

Once the doors closed and the _Normandy_ started to take off, the stretcher was loaded on to the elevator that began raising up to the crew deck where the infirmary was located. All the while, Jennifer had her hand clasped tightly on to the teen's while the medical officer monitored his situation.

"You better survive kid." she said with her voice filled with concern.

**A/N: Yet another cliffhanger, then again I'm pretty much known for these at this point. Now, to cut any oncoming questions off at the pass, Mason is NOT going to steal the thunder away from Commander Shepard. Even though he was pulled in by the beacon it simply made him an important part of the mission that will be following, i.e. making him an asset for what is coming and giving him an excuse to be part of the crew.**

**I'm really got inspiration with this, like my other friends on this site who have thrown their hats into the ME ring, and I intend on leaving my own mark in this category. **


	5. Chapter 4

**A/N: I gotta say, writing one of these particular stories is challenging, but at the same time it flows pretty easily once you get started. Not to mention you have miles upon miles of canon script that you can go along and alter in any way you see fit.**

**But I digress. With how things are going with this story I can definitely see a good future with it. I already have a couple of readers asking me about the future after reading the last installment. But for right now I'm just handling this thing one chapter at a time and playing it by ear for the most part since this will be one hell of an undertaking.****But enough talk, let's get this ball rolling again!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Mass Effect.**

Somewhere out in the Traverse, Sovereign drifted though the void to parts unknown. On board, Saren sat in a chair somewhere within, a clawed hand covering his face as an Asari Matriarch wearing a black dress and head piece approached him from behind.

She cleared her throat before speaking, "We identified the ship that touched down on Eden Prime. The _Normandy_. A human Alliance vessel. It was under the command of Captain Anderson."

Saren said nothing, moving one of his claws over his face slightly as his subordinate continued. "They managed to save the colony."

"And the beacon?" he asked.

"One of the Humans may have used it."

The Turian sat up abruptly, a feral growl pulling from deep in his throat as he snapped his head from side to side. The air around him flashing red in tune with his rage as he stood, swipping his claws through the air and sending various objects flying around the room. The Matriarch merely tilting her head to the side as a piece of machinery flew past her.

Saren stormed around the room before standing almost nose to nose with his subordinate, claws around her face as she looked back at him impassively while he hissed through clenched teeth.

**"This Human must be eliminated."** he rumbled, his voice sounding like two different beings speaking as one before he turned and headed off farther into the ship.

**X**

_The long corridor looked the same as it had before, but Something had changed. The usual black and white background occasionally flashed orange/red at various intervals, like a heart beating._

_Strange makings now covered the walls that glowed a faint green as he moved past them. Following along the familiar path he had before. Only the sounds of the crying woman were muffled from the high pitch screeches that came with every time the environment flashed around him._

_Approaching the same door, it slid open only to reveal the same images that he had witnessed from the beacon. Chaos and bloodshed filling him along with a sense of dread and terror as he witnessed the merciless slaughter of countless lives from a civilization long since lost._

_He witnessed flesh being melted and removed, replaced with machines and cybernetics. Turning organics into something monstrous. _

_It all seemed to take an eternity to pass, but he now found himself floating through the dark void of space. Drifting away from a star in the middle of a random system until his vision locked on to a lone planet, zooming into it only to see the red outline of a Reaper coming straight for him._

**X**

Mason blinked his eyes open, vision blurry to the point of not being able to make out much of anything around him. A bright light above him made him squint as he felt his head pounding like a drum, the pain making him slam his eyes back shut a moment later.

'If this is what it's like to have a hangover...then I'm glad I don't drink.' he thought as a groan escaped his lips.

"Doctor Chakwas? Commander? I think he's waking up." he heard someone say from close by as two people stood over him.

"Mr. Riley? Can you hear me?" asked an older woman with a slight accent. Mason opened his eyes again, his vision swiming before coming into focus to reveal Doctor Chakwas and Commander Shepard looking down at him.

"Where...Where am I?" he asked, trying to sit up only for the Commander to help him the rest of the way when he grabbed his head from the ache that lanced through it.

"Aboard the _Normandy_. We brought you in after what happened down on the planet." said Shepard, relief tinting her voice at knowing the teen was now awake and alive.

Chakwas approached, activating her omni-tool and scanning his body a moment before speaking. "Mr. Riley, I'm Medical Officer Chakwas. You had us worried for a while, how are you feeling?"

Mason shook his head, "Like someone jammed my head into a meat grinder." he looked around the room, seeing it set up just like it was in the first game complete with the window that looked out into space. He saw Ashley standing off to the side looking hesitant. "How long was I out?"

"About 15 hours. Something happened down there with the beacon." said Shepard.

"It's my fault." said Ashley making herself known. "I must have triggered some kind of security field when I got too close. If you hadn't pushed me out of the way-"

"Chief, relax." said the teen looking her way, wincing when his frontal lobe twinged. "I made a choice to help you out, consequences be damned. Besides, you had no way of knowing that was going to happen."

The Gunnery Chief smiled at him for his words. "Actually, we don't even know what set it off." said Chakwas. "Unfortunately, we'll never get the chance to find out."

"The beacon exploded, some kind of system overload." Shepard elaborated. "It knocked you out cold and you started bleeding, so we brought you on board to be examined just in case."

Mason nodded, "Thanks, I really appreciate it." he rubbed his temples as the pain finally started to fade. "Damn..." he muttered, looking up to see Chakwas handing him a couple of white tablets and a glass of water that he took and knocked back without thinking twice.

"Physically, you're fine." said the doctor. "But I detected some unusual brain activity, abnormal beta waves. I also noticed an increase in your rapid eye movement, signs typically associated with intense dreaming."

The teen stared at the far wall, his thoughts returning to the vision he had gotten from the beacon.

Unlike what the games portrayed, the device was a lot more vivid and painful then it led the gamers believe. Even now he was still seeing and feeling the images that had bombarded his mind. "I saw...christ, it felt like a nightmare." he said rubbing his eyes. "Death...destruction...I could hear people dying...Nothing's too clear to really understand."

The three women all shared glances. "Hmmm." Chakwas hummed to herself. "I better add this to my report. It may have-" she stopped when the doors to the medbay opened and a dark-skinned man wearing dress blues entered. "Oh, Captain Anderson."

"Doctor, Commander." he said nodding to them before looking over at Mason. "How's our patient holding up?"

"All the readings look normal. I'd say Mr. Riley's going to be just fine. Though I did notice during the medical scans that he lacks the basic implants required by most colonists." said the doctor.

"My parents wanted me growing naturally." said the teen remembering the back story he cooked up when he first arrived. "It was a risk, but so far there haven't been any bad effects."

Chakwas nodded, making a note in her omni-tool. "I'd advise you pay a visit to a medical clinic when we reach the Citadel, better to have the implants done now just in case. Other than that there aren't any problems that you should be worried about."

Anderson nodded before looking toward the Commander. "Shepard, I need to speak with you, in private."

Ashley saluted the Captain, Chakwas nodding at him as they began to leave the medbay. Mason slid off the bed, booted feet touching the deck and nearly collapsing under his own weight from the vertigo that overcame him. Almost hitting the floor had two pairs of hands hadn't stopped him.

"Easy, son." said Anderson as he and Shepard helped him back on the bed. "I'd like a word with you as well, if you don't mind."

"Not at all, sir. But what do you need me for?" he asked confused.

The Captain sighed, "With what happened down on Eden Prime, things are looking bad. A Council Spectre is dead. The beacon was destroyed and the Geth are invading. The Council's going to want answers."

"What happened to the beacon wasn't his fault." Shepard jumped in to defend their guest. "If he hadn't jumped in, Chief Williams would be the one in here. His actions speak highly for him."

"I understand fully, Commander." said Anderson. "And I stand behind the report that you and the rest of your team filed. Hopefully the Council will take that into account as well. But that's not why I'm here. It's Saren, that other Turian that you mentioned."

"Saren's a Spectre, one of the best. A living legend. But if he's working with the Geth, it means he's gone rogue. A rogue Spectre's trouble. Saren's dangerous. And he hates Humans."

"Why's that?" asked the Commander.

Anderson crossed his arms, "He thinks we're growing too fast, taking over the galaxy. A lot of aliens think that way. Most of them don't do anything about it. But Saren's allied himself with the Geth. I don't know how, I don't know why. I only know it had something to do with the beacon." he looked at Mason who was listening closely. "Which is why I asked you to stay, son. The beacon did something to you before it self-destructed. Did you see anything? Any clue that might tell us what Saren was after?"

'Oh, I could tell you a whole lot.' the mechanic mentally replied before answering verbally. "The thing beamed some kind of vision into my head before I lost consciousness. I saw organics being wiped out by machines, some being melted down and converted like those Husks we saw on Eden Prime. It's still pretty fuzzy."

"It sounds like some kind of a warning." said Shepard mused.

The Captain thought it over to himself, "This needs to be reported to the Council."

"With all do respect, sir. Telling three of the most important figure heads in the Traverse that some kid had a bad dream won't get you anywhere." Mason replied. "If one of their main agents are behind this, then they're going to need some serious convincing to do anything against him."

"That may be, but we don't know what else could have been stored in that beacon." said the Captain. "Lost Prothean technology? Blueprints for some ancient weapon of mass destruction? Whatever it was, Saren took it. And a part of it was transferred to you. Which is why you've been labeled a high priority person of interest until all of this is sorted out."

Shepard turned to Mason, "The Captain's ordered me and my team to keep close watch over you for the time being. If Saren's as dangerous as he believes, there could be a chance that he could come after you, or send someone after you."

"Precisely." added Anderson. "And I know Saren. I know his reputation, his politics. He believes Humans are a blight on the galaxy. This attack was an act of war! And with the secrets from the beacon, and a Geth army at his command, he won't stop until he's wiped out all of humanity from the face of the galaxy!"

Mason had to bite his tongue to the point of nearly breaking flesh to avoid spilling everything. But he knew that if he did, the chances of him actually helping the crew and instead winding up in a loony bin where beyond the norm.

"I'll find some way to take him down." said Shepard with conviction in her tone.

"It won't be easy, Shepard. Saren's a Spectre. He can go anywhere, do almost anything. That's why we need the Council on our side." replied the Captain.

The Commander nodded, "We prove Saren's gone rogue, and the Council will revoke his Spectre status."

Mason hopped down from the bed, feeling the after effects of his ordeal finally over. "Count me in. If I'm coming along for the ride, then I'll do my part and help where I can. If you'll have me that is."

Shepard smiled at him, "You showed real initiative down on Eden Prime, even without proper military training you handled the Geth pretty well. If you don't mind taking on a training regiment with someone assigned to you I don't see an issue with it."

"Neither do I." said Anderson, "I'll contact the ambassador and see if he can get us an audience with the Council. He'll want to see us as soon as we reach the Citadel. We should be getting close, head up to the bridge and tell Joker to bring us in to dock."

The Commander saluted him, "Yes, sir." she sent one last look at Mason before heading out of the room leaving the two alone.

"Something else you needed, Captain?" asked the teen standing before the man in question.

Anderson regarded him a moment, "I did a little digging into your background not long after you were brought aboard, making sure that you didn't have affiliations to any factions that are considered enemies in Council space." The mechanic kept his face as straight, but on the inside he was sweating bullets.

"Your files checked out, although there really wasn't much. Though considering you grew up in the Terminus systems that's not a surprise." said the Captain surprising him a bit. "And considering the reports I've read about what you managed to pull off down on the colony, I have every reason to believe that you may be a good asset to have if we're going to expose Saren for his acts."

Mason snapped himself back to the matter at hand and nodded, "I'll do everything I can to prove you right, sir." he said respectfully.

Anderson nodded to him before taking his leave, pausing at the door and looking back over his shoulder. "I see something special about you, Mason. A real soldier in the making." he went through the opening allowing it to close silently behind him.

When the man was out of sight, the mechanic was immediately on his omni-tool looking up his name. A file with his picture on it appeared on screen with information listed underneath it.

**Mason A. Riley**

**Gender: Male**

**Age: 19**

**Born: August 17, 2164**

**Location: Earth (Adopted and moved off world)**

**Biological Parents: Unknown (Presumed Deceased)**

**Adopted Parents: William and Annette Riley (Deceased)**

**Education: High School, College - Majoring in Engineering and Mechanical Studies**

**Residence: Colony World Horizon - Terminus Systems**

His arm slowly lowered, his head beginning to hurt again as he read the information. There was more listed in the file, all of it about _him_ only altered to fit into the current timeline of things. He couldn't understand how it was even possible until he recalled the messages and 'gifts' he had gotten after he woke up at Zenya's house.

'R/R's at it again...' he thought narrowing his eyes. 'Another reason to track them down and ask questions, but at least people will believe I'm from around here.' Shaking his head again, Mason deactivated his omni-tool and headed toward the door deciding to meet up with everyone in the cockpit.

The doors opened when he got close and he stepped out on to the crew deck, the sights and sounds of the _Normandy's_ interior was just like he remembered from the games. Though it paled compared to seeing it in real life.

The mechanic in him wanted to run down to the lower deck and see the drive core, as well as the Mako that would be in the cargo hold. Wanting to know everything and anything about the ship and vehicle as possible right down to their frame work.

Taking a deep breath, the teen calmed down his inner engine-geek and began making his way to the stairs. "Mason! Wait up!" he stopped and turned to see Ashley approaching him from the mess hall.

"Chief." he said nodding to her, taking note that he actually stood a inch taller than the marine.

"I wanted to thank you for what you did for me down on Eden Prime." she said sounding as tired as she looked. "You didn't have to put yourself in that position, yet you did it without thinking twice. I'm grateful for that."

Mason shrugged, "You would have done the same for me. As would have the Commander or Kaidan. Besides, it's not in my nature to just stand by when someone's in trouble. I was raised better than that."

Ashley smiled at him, "Good to see your not like some of the recruits fresh out of boot. Completely gun-hoe wanting to prove something."

"Mom always said I had an 'old soul'. But showing off is better left in less hostile moments anyway." he replied with a smirk.

" 'Old soul' huh?" the Chief looked down at his arm where his cross tattoo was on display. "I saw that cross when the doctor was looking you over. Are you religious by any chance?"

He looked down at the black markings, also noticing that his arm had been bandaged where the Husk had scratched him. No pain coming from the wrappings making him completely ignorant to it until now. "In a way, I am." he answered. "I believe in a higher power, life after death, and the fact that we all serve a purpose. But structured religion doesn't fit in with it. If we were gifted with the power of free will then I'll worship the man upstairs in my own way."

"Good to know that there's someone on board that shares some of the same beliefs then." said Ashley as they both walked up the stairs to the CIC. "I heard we're heading to the Citadel, ever been there?"

"First time." replied Mason. 'In real life anyway...' he added in his head.

The Chief nodded, "Same here, always heard a lot about it from others. Guess we'll find out soon." They stepped through the doors at the top of the steps and into the CIC. Moving past the various crew members at their stations and the banks of monitors on their way to the cockpit.

There was a very small vibration through the ship, but given Mason's new sensitivity to things around him he felt it and looked around for the source. "The ship just came out of a mass-jump. Don't get too jumpy." Ashley teased as they stepped into the cockpit where Shepard and Kaidan were already waiting.

"Just in time." said the Commander smiling at them. "Joker here was just about to bring us in."

"Finally seeing those taxpayer dollars at work." said the pilot turning a bit and looking at their new arrival. "This the stray you found on the colony, Commander?"

The mechanic raised an eyebrow then flipped him the finger, "Sticks and stones, flyboy. Though you may need to get creative if you ever hope to get under my skin. I've heard a lot worse."

Joker tilted his head and looked at Shepard, "Oh, I think we should keep this one." he turned back to the controls, his hands flying across the screens before him as the _Normandy_ flew through the nebula clouds until they could see the massive station.

For several moments, Mason was in awe. Seeing the Citadel in all its splendor as they drew closer to it almost made him forget about what the station's true purpose was...

...almost.

"Look at the size of that ship!" Ashley exclaimed getting closer to a nearby viewport as they passed by the fleet that protected the Citadel.

"The _Destiny Ascension_. Flagship of the Citadel fleet." Kaidan pointed out.

"Well, size isn't everything." said Joker.

Ashley sent him a smirk, "Why so touchy, Joker?"

The pilot shrugged, "I'm just saying you need firepower, too."

"Whatever helps you sleep at night next to your 'pillow friend', man." said Mason causing the ground team to stifle their amusement while the helmsman shot him a dirty look.

He went back to the controls and pressed a few keys, "Citadel Control, this is _SSV Normandy_ requesting permission to land."

_"Stand by for clearance, _Normandy_."_ came the reply a moment later as they drew closer to one of the five arms of the station. There was a soft chime from the controls before the operator spoke again, _"Clearance granted. You may begin your approach. Transferring you to an Alliance operator."_

"Roger, Alliance Tower. _Normandy _out." said Joker.

Looking at the many lights that covered the arms, Mason felt his pulse quicken a bit. He was actually going to set foot on the Citadel. But more than that, he was realized he was about to become part of something that would change the face of an entire galaxy.

He should have come to this conclusion earlier, but now that he was here, at this point in time where things would start getting kicked up, it hit him almost as hard as the beacon's vision had.

A hand on his shoulder pulled him from his thoughts, he looked over and saw Shepard watching him. Squeezing his shoulder as if sensing his anxiety. "Relax, everything's going to be okay." her voice was calm and sure, quelling some of his more rampant thoughts and helping him turn down a bit.

But that didn't stop one last line of thought from getting through.

'No...everything's not going to be okay. You just don't know how bad.'

**X**

After docking, the team went down into the cargo hold and collected their gear. Mason found his combat harness from Eden Prime along with his weapons and medigel supply in one of the spare lockers. He was also given a set of Alliance BDUs since his shirt and jeans were dirty, torn and had blood on them from the fighting he'd been a part of.

Slipping them all on and lacing up his boots he joined up with the others at the airlock with Captain Anderson before they all set out.

The sights and sounds of the Citadel were even more grand than actually seeing the station. So many different species mingling with one another, the architecture, it was all kind of overwhelming.

Culture shock didn't quite say what the teen was feeling. But he managed to put it aside and focus on following the others to the Presidium where the ambassador and Council would be waiting for them.

They arrived at the Human embassy after a quick ride via the transit station that was located in C-Sec below the docking area, and were now standing in Udina's office checking out the view from their position while the man fought with the projections of the Council.

"This is an outrage! The Council would step in if the Geth attacked a Turian colony!" Udina exclaimed.

"The Turians don't found colonies on the boarders of the Terminus Systems, Ambassador." said Salarian Councilor Valern.

"Humanity was well aware of the risks when you went into the Traverse." added Asari Councilor Tevos.

Udina growled, "What about Saren? You can't just ignore a rogue Spectre! I demand action!"

"You don't get to make demands of the Council, Ambassador!" admonished Sparatus, the Turian Councilor.

"Citadel Security is investigating your charges against Saren. We will discuss the C-Sec findings at the hearing. Not before." said Tevos. The holograms faded out after that, the Human Ambassador turned and faced his guests before addressing Anderson.

"Captain Anderson. I see you've brought half your crew and an armed civilian with you." he said looking them over as though they were beneath him.

Mason narrowed his eyes at him but kept his mouth shut. "Just the ground team from Eden Prime. In case you had any questions." said Anderson.

"I have the mission reports." Udina said not sounding impressed. "I assume they're accurate?"

The Captain nodded, "They are. Sounds like you convinced the Council to give us an audience."

"They were not happy about it. Saren's their top agent. They don't like him being accused of treason." said the Ambassador.

"Saren's a threat to every Human colony out there." said Shepard. "He needs to be stopped. The Council has to listen to us!"

"Settle down, Commander. You've already done more than enough to jeopardize your candidacy for the Spectres." Udina said with a condescending tone. "The mission on Eden Prime was a chance to prove you could get the job done. Instead, Nihlus ended up dead and the beacon was destroyed."

He looked passed the two directly at Mason. "Can I assume that this is the one responsible for the beacon's destruction? Why isn't he in handcuffs?"

The teen bristled, already at his limit with what the bastard was spewing out and was about to say something he wouldn't regret when Anderson came to his defense. "What happened to the beacon was Saren's fault, not his."

"He helped us fight against the Geth, and he protected one of our own even though it could have killed him in the process." added the Commander, her opinion of Udina dropping as well along with everyone else. "As far as I'm concerned, he's become a valued member of my team from his actions on Eden Prime alone."

Udina narrowed his eyes at them, "Then we better hope the C-Sec investigation turns up evidence to support our accusations. Otherwise the Council might use this as an excuse to keep you out of the Spectres." he turned to Anderson. "Come with me, Captain. I want to go over a few things before the hearing. Shepard, you and the others can meet us there at the Citadel Tower. Top level. I'll make sure you have clearance to get in."

He spun on his heel and left without another word, the Captain sending the team one last look before following after him.

"And that's why I hate politicians." muttered Ashley.

"I'd honestly like to know how he can walk around with that stick shoved so far up his ass." Mason said allowing the tension that had been building inside of him out finally.

"Good question, but I think we're better off not knowing." said Shepard getting grins and a couple of chuckles from the others. "Come on, we better get to the tower and prepare for that hearing."

With everyone in agreement, they set out for the Presidium Commons and another transit station that would take them to the tower. They'd just reached the front of the embassy, the Commander stopping to talk to a man about his wife who died on Eden Prime when Mason's omni-tool went off.

"Something wrong?" asked the Commander as she finished speaking to the grieving husband.

"No, just a message. You guys go deal with that, I'll wait here." he replied sitting in an empty chair and pulling up his inbox.

Shepard looked unsure, but nodded. "Alright, we'll be right back. So don't wander too far." Mason gave her a thumbs up, waiting until they were out of sight before opening the message he had just received.

_**Mason - **_

_**It's good to see that you made it through Eden Prime with only a few scratches. You're far more resourceful than originally believed. **_

_**Although, you being the one attaining the vision from the Prothean beacon was not expected. It was, however, an outcome that was possible as an end result. You now are in possession of a great gift. Or a great burden, depending on the context with which you look at it.**_

_**What's past is past, and you can only focus on the here and now while the future will have to wait. Attached to this message is coordinates to a place containing something that may have a chance to increase your rate of survival. Going there sooner rather than later would be most advisable.**_

_**You may also wish to take the time to part with some of the items that were carried here with you. It is doubtful that they will be of any help to you now.**_

_**As always, good luck. You may need it.**_

_**- R/R**_

Mason gritted his teeth. Another cryptic message from whoever threw him into this universe.

After scrolling to the bottom and bringing up the coordinates that were listed. He was greeted with a map of the Citadel, and a waypoint located within the Lower Wards. Deciding to hit the place up the first chance he could to get some answers, he looked up and saw Shepard and the others coming his way and quickly closed down his omni-tool.

"Ready to go?" she asked as he stood up.

"Ready as I'll ever be, Commander." Mason replied as they set off toward the rapid transit station that would take them to the Citadel Tower.

Taking them only a few minutes given how close they already were. From there it was a short elevator ride to the Council chambers and the team of four stepping off the lift and into the main atrium. They were part-way up a set of steps when they caught sight of two Turians arguing.

"Saren's hiding something! Give me more time. Stall them." said the one with blue face markings that Mason recognized as Garrus.

"Stall the Council?" said the other Turian skeptically. "Don't be ridiculous! Your investigation is over, Garrus." he turned and left leaving the C-Sec detective alone.

Looking their way when they approached and greeting them. "Commander Shepard? Garrus Vakarian. I was the officer in charge of the C-Sec investigation into Saren."

"Did you come across anything that we should know about?" asked Shepard.

Garrus shook his head, "Saren's a Spectre. Most of his activities are classified. I couldn't find anything solid." the tone in his voice telling them that he was more than a bit frustrated with how things turned out. "But I know he's up to something. Like you humans say, 'I feel it in my gut'."

"I think the Council's ready for us, Commander." said Kaidan.

"Good luck, Shepard. Maybe they'll listen to you." said Garrus as they walked past him. Mason stopped and looked up at him.

"Follow your gut, Garrus." he said making the Turian raise an eye-ridge. "Spectre or not, most people aren't beyond making mistakes." it was cryptic at best, but he had a feeling he got his point across. Garrus went to say something, but the teen jogged to catch up with the others as they got closer to the meeting area.

Finding Anderson waiting for them at the top of the steps, he greeted them before motioning farther up. "The hearing's already started. Come on." he said as they entered the chambers where the three Councilors were assembled at their podiums. Udina on a platform before them with the large hologram projection of Saren off to the left.

"The Geth attack is a matter of concern." said Tevos. "But there is nothing to indicate Saren was involved in any way."

"The investigation by Citadel Security turned up no evidence to support your charge of treason." added Sparatus.

Udina stepped forward, "An eyewitness saw him kill Nihlus in cold blood!"

"We've read the Eden Prime reports, Ambassador." said Valern. "The testimony of one traumatized dockworker is hardly compelling proof."

'That'd be more than enough to get a conviction back home.' Mason couldn't help but think as he hung in the back of the group.

"I resent these accusations." said Saren. "Nihlus was a fellow Spectre. And a friend."

"That just allowed you to catch him off guard!" exclaimed Anderson.

The projection looked down at him and sneered, "Captain Anderson. You always seem to be involved when humanity makes false charges against me." He turned to the Commander, "And this must be your protegé, Commander Shepard. The one who let the beacon get destroyed."

When Saren's eyes locked on him, Mason felt a chill go up his spine. There was something in the Turian's eyes that made his skin crawl in a way that made him want to physically defend himself some how.

It was the look of a hunter zeroing in on a target...or someone about to crush a bug under their boot.

"Ah, I see you brought the one who actually _did_ destroy the beacon." Saren said snapping the mechanic back to the present. "Tell me, why is he not the one in custody for damaging a priceless alien artifact?"

Mason couldn't believe it, the bastard was really trying to pin the beacon's destruction on him! "Medical files and footage from our suits proves that he is innocent of that!" said Shepard. "And besides, the mission to Eden Prime was top secret. The only way you could have known about any of this was if you were there!"

"With Nihlus gone, his files passed on to me." said Saren casually. "I read the Eden Prime report. I was unimpressed."

"You would be." All eyes turned to Mason who had kept his mouth shut for too long. "Coming from someone who looks upon us Humans like insects to be crushed beneath your feet. Yet you'd be surprised what were able to achieve just to prove people like you wrong. We've been doing so long before we even touched the stars."

The Turian growled, "You'd better learn to show respect to your betters, _Human_."

Mason glared right back at him, "It'll be a cold day in Hell before I even remotely consider _you_ my better, _Saren_. And as for respect...there isn't enough light-years in the universe to tell you how far you are from getting any from me."

Saren shook his head, "Your species needs to learn its place. None of you are ready to join the Council, or even the Spectres for that matter!"

"He has no right to say that!" demanded Udina. "That's not his decision!"

"Humanity's admission to the Spectres is not the purpose of this meeting." said Tevos.

"This meeting has no purpose!" said Saren. "The Humans are wasting your time, Councilor. And mine."

Shepard took a step forward, "You can't hide behind the Council forever!"

"There is still one outstanding issue." said Anderson before motioning to Mason. "Mason's vision, it may have been triggered by the beacon."

The teen wanted to facepalm so badly, while feeling as though he had just been thrown under a bus filled with cement blocks. He could almost recite word for word what was going to happen next.

"Are we allowing the dreams of children into evidence now? How can I defend my innocence against this kind of testimony?" asked Saren sounding fed up with it all.

Sparatus nodded, "I agree. Our judgement must be based on facts and evidence, not wild imaginings and reckless speculation."

"You try being mind-raped by ancient technology...asshole." The mechanic said under his breath. Ashley bumping his shoulder gently letting him know to keep his cool as the trial came to a close.

"Do you have anything else to add, Commander Shepard?" asked Valern.

The Commander shook her head, "You've already made your decision. I won't waste by breath."

All three Councilors looked to one another for a moment before turning to the room again. "The Council has found no evidence of any connection between Saren and the Geth. Ambassador, your petition to have him disbarred from the Spectres is denied." said Tevos.

"I'm glad to see justice was served." said Saren in a tone that made pretty much every Human in the room want to shoot him on the spot. He sent one last burning leer down at Mason just before his hologram faded from existence.

'Pretty safe to say I better watch my back from here on out.' the teen thought to himself as the Asari Councilor ended the meeting and they all started to leave. All the while he couldn't shake the sense of foreboding that he had been feeling since Saren locked eyes with him.

Along with the feeling that things were about to get a lot worse.

**X**

From the upper balcony of the Council chambers. A lone figure had watched the proceedings as per their orders. Face impassive as they saw the Humans pathetically try to plead their case before they were shot down completely.

When everything was done and they started to leave, his comm clicked with an incoming message.

_"I want the one that was touched by the beacon terminated. Along with anyone else that can link what happened at Eden Prime to me."_ came the voice of Saren. _"No matter what it takes, that Human does not leave the Citadel alive!"_

"Yes, sir." said the figure cutting the link. Sending one last look down at their new target before stepping out of sight.

The hunt had begun.

**A/N: Plot twists, gotta love them and hate them at the same time. I'm trying to keep the script close to canon and original at the same time. Considering you really have to alter the dialogue with another person thrown into the mix it can be a bit confusing if you don't micromanage it just right.**

**All my chapters from here on out won't be no less that 4,500 words. Though I'm pretty sure you've noticed so far. Leave your reviews where you can and I'll get back to you guys soon!**


	6. Chapter 5

**A/N: A new day, a new installment. I've been going over the dialogue closely for the series and have been plotting out my own take on how to add my own. Considering that I've been following the script a little too closely with not enough of my own material, I think it's time I really started getting original.**

**It'll be a slow process, and I've already started making subtle changes to the story to make sure that it isn't boring to some. Regardless, I think I'm starting to hit my stride. Now, let's get back into this!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Mass Effect.**

With the trial going as well as could be expected, the team had gathered together with Anderson and Udina to discuss what their next step was going to be. As for Mason, he decided to walk around the atrium to clear his head. Unable to shake the feeling he'd gotten during the hearing.

Almost like a sense of impending doom, though with what was coming their way it was easy to feel that way. But on a personal level, he had a feeling that Saren would be gunning for him since he know knew that he got the vision from the beacon like he had instead of Shepard.

Bringing up his omni-tool, he checked the coordinates his mysterious benefactor had sent him earlier. All the while forming a plan in the back of his head. The location was in the Lower Wards, so was Flux, the Medical Clinic...and Tali.

'If I can get to Tali before the assassins do, maybe we can save a little time and get after Saren a bit sooner.' he thought while closing down his omni-tool. A soft chittering to his right had his head turning and he was greeted with the sight of the four-legged, bug-like form of a Keeper scuttling slowly in his direction.

Stepping out of its way, Mason watched the creature walk past him without a care in the world. Approaching a terminal near the far wall and beginning to work on it. The teen's eyes narrowed as he observed the Keeper going about it's business while wondering how much trouble he'd get in for shooting it.

Movement to the left showed a Salarian approaching the creature slowly. Crouching down beside it and producing a device that he used to scan it.

"What are you doing?" he asked making the alien jump.

"Oh, uh, just checking the...uh." the Salarian floundered. "It's...nothing."

Mason crossed his arms, "Nothing, huh? Looked like you were scanning that Keeper. What exactly are you up to?" he asked. When the Salarian looked to be ready to run he held up his hand, "Relax, I'm not a cop or anything, just curious. People tend to leave these things alone most of the time."

"Oh, okay. I guess it couldn't hurt to tell someone." said the alien still a nervous. "I'm using this device to gather readings on the Keepers. So far, I've had mixed results. It's difficult to get near the creatures."

"Why the cloak and dagger routine then? Obviously no one supposed to be messing with them, but why gather intel on them in the first place?" It had always been a question on his mind since playing this particular part, the Keepers were definitely more then they appeared but what was this guy's stake in them?

The Salarian looked around briefly, "The Keepers are said to have been around since the discovery of the Citadel long ago, yet they're able to run various stations all over the installation. I'm interested in uncovering their secrets, harmlessly of course. Though it's difficult to get close and C-Sec might not share the same beliefs that I do."

'If only you knew what exactly they were, pal.' Mason thought. "Need a hand? Uncovering what these things really are might come in handy for someone."

"I don't even know who you are." said the alien.

He held out his hand, "Mason Riley, I work with Commander Shepard. And I don't think she would mind if I helped out someone with their research. Especially if it could be important."

The Salarian shook his hand and thought it over, "Hmm, I could use the help. And you do sound like you can get around the authorities given your ties." He reached into his pocket and produced a similar device to the one he had been using. It was roughly the size of CD, a lens on one side was used for the scanning and a series of small buttons on the other side must have been used for the controls. "Here's a copy of the scanning tool I've developed. Simply swipe it close to the Keepers and the data will be transferred to my database. I'll even forward some credits for the unique findings that are received."

Mason took the tool and gave the alien a nod as he moved on. "Making friends?" he turned and saw Shepard approaching him with Ashley and Kaidan flanking her.

"More like getting a part-time job in my spare time." he replied pocketing the scanner. "Judging by the fact Udina stopped running his damn mouth for longer than a few seconds, I take it we have a new lead to follow putting that genocidal split-chin in the hole?"

Shepard nodded, "That C-Sec detective that was investigating Saren, he looked to be getting somewhere in finding evidence against him. We're heading to a club called Chora's Den in the Lower Wards for a lead on where to find him."

Nodding, Mason followed the team to the nearest transit station. All the while trying to come up with a plan to slip away at the right moment and ensure a certain Quarian's survival.

**X**

Watching the group depart via a skycar, the assassin hired by Saren to deal with the Human he had specified left through a back entrance to were his own skycar was waiting for him. Getting in and starting the engine before going after the cab the Humans had left in, all the while keeping a safe distance to avoid detection.

_"Status."_ Saren's voice crackled in his ear.

"I'm following the target now. They seem to be heading toward the Lower Wards." he replied as he maneuvered the skycar around traffic to keep the cab in sight.

_"This works in our favor then. There seems to be another issue that may require your intervention."_ said the Spectre.

"I'm listening." said the assassin.

_"One of my informants just contacted me, said that a Quarian woman was in possession of information that may be damning against me. I've already sent people after her, but she managed to slip away and survive."_ Saren growled in frustration._ "It isn't a coincidence that Shepard and her team are headed in the same direction where the Quarian was last seen."_

"I'll ensure that her body is added to the list." The link was severed and the assassin gripped the wheel in anticipation. Trigger finger itching with the thought of two new marks to add to his already impressive list.

**X**

The faded red lighting and the vibrating bass of techno-music reverberated off the walls outside of the gentlemen's club.

Though this was difficult to take into account when bullets were being fired in your direction.

The moment the team stepped out of the cab that brought them to the Lower Wards they were forced to duck for cover when three armed men on the balcony across from them opened fire.

Kaidan rose up and launched a biotic throw that sent two the the attackers crashing against the wall behind them. Ashley following up with her assault rifle and Mason with his pistol to take them down before they had a chance to regroup.

The last assassin stood to start shooting again when taken down by a hail of rounds that tore through his weak armor. His corpse hitting the floor a moment later next to his comrades. "I'm pretty sure those were Saren's men." said Shepard swapping out her thermal clip.

"I think that's safe assumption." replied Mason. "His eyes and ears could be everywhere around here, we better stay on our toes." Though he knew the amount of heat on them would be high, the problem was he didn't have an exact number for who was on Saren's payroll other than Fist and his thugs.

That being said, he'd have to be even more cautious than he first thought.

Making sure there weren't any more surprises, the team holstered their weapons and entered Chora's Den. Being swallowed up by the pounding beat of the music and the smell of smoke, alcohol and sweat.

"No matter where you are in the galaxy, there always seems to be a half naked girl shaking her ass for money." muttered Ashley.

Mason managed to snap his attention away from the Asari dancer on the table they were walking past without being seen. Kaidan chuckled on his left making him mutter a quick 'Shut up' as they searched for Harkin. Going around the whole club and stopping when they saw two Krogan fighting by an opening that led farther in.

"Back off, Wrex. Fist told us to take you down if you showed up." said the Krogan acting as a bouncer for the club.

Wrex snorted, "What are you waiting for? I'm standing right here. This is Fist's only chance. If he's smart, he'll take it."

"He's not coming out, Wrex. End of story." said the Bouncer stepping back.

"This story is just beginning." the scarred battlemaster stomped away, moving past the team. "Out of my way, Humans. I have no quarrel with you." he rumbled as he left the club completely.

"What do you think that was all about?" wondered Kaidan.

"Getting between two pissed off Krogan is like getting between two out of control freight trains." said Mason. "Better to avoid it instead of becoming collateral damage." Moving on, they ended up finding Harkin exactly where he was in the game. A lone table in the corner right by the hall that led toward Fist's office.

The drunk, dishonorable C-Sec officer looked up at them and grinned lecherously. "Hey there, sweetheart." he slurred looking up at Shepard. "You looking for some fun? 'Cause I gotta say that soldier getup looks real good on that bod of yours."

Ashley made a sound of disgust in the back of her throat, Kaidan tensed, Mason just crossed his arms and leaned back as the Commander's face remained impassive.

"Why don't you sit your sweet little ass down beside old Harkin?" the drunk continued. "Have a drink and we'll see where this goes."

"Nice attempt, but your pick up lines need a lot more work." said Shepard with a smirk. "I have a few questions for you that I need answering."

Harkin knocked back the rest of the beer in his glass. "Is that a fact?"

"I was told you'd know where to find a C-Sec officer named Garrus Vakarian." said the Commander.

"Heh, so your into Turians I take it. You must like it rough." the cop chuckled to himself making Shepard roll her eyes.

"Just tell me where Garrus is. If you don't know, then don't waste our time." she said partially wondering if this lead was already a dead-end.

Harkin grinned again, "Oh, I know where he is. But first, why don't you and that carmel colored friend of yours give me a little dance. Then I'll tell you everything you wanna know...if you even feel like talking."

Ashley gritted her teeth, "You sick son of a-"

She was cut off when the man gave a bellow of pain. Mason having come up behind Harkin right after his last comment, taking his right arm and bending it behind his back as far as it would go while using his free hand to slam the man's head into the table and press it into the surface.

"You know, my adopted mother always taught me to respect women." the teen said calmly as Harkin struggled in pain. "Hearing you say shit like that, to honorable women of the Alliance, kinda makes me want to..." he twisted the man's arm a little more making him yelp loudly.

"Now, here's how it's going to go." he whispered in Harkin's ear. "Your going to tell us where to find Garrus. And then, your going to apologise to _Commander_ Shepard and _Gunnery Chief_ Williams for your disgusting words. Am I clear?"

The drunk muttered something, "Excuse me?" Mason asked pressing down on the man's head harder making him groan.

"G-Garrus should be down at Dr. Michel's clinic on the other end of the ward!" he exclaimed as the pressure in his head grew. "He's been staking the place out for some big investigation he's doing!"

"AND?" the teen asked not letting up.

Harken was over come with pain at that point, coupled with the alcohol in his system didn't help him much. "I'm sorry Commander! I'm sorry Gunnery Chief! It won't happen again!" he managed before Mason released him, slumping back in his chair nursing both his arm and his head. "You'll pay for that you little shit!" he called after the teen as he walked away.

Mason flipped the middle finger over his shoulder before addressing the team. "Shall we go?" he asked casually as they headed for the exit.

"Was that really necessary?" asked Shepard, although she couldn't help but grin mentally at how he handled Harkin's attitude.

"Suspended police officer or not, the bastard should learn not to run his mouth like that. Besides, given his reputation, I don't think I need to worry too much." replied the mechanic as they walked through the wards in the direction of the clinic.

Ashley bumped his shoulder with hers, "Good to see that there are still guys out there that'll stick up for a lady's honor. I was about ready to break his arm myself."

"Though I think it would be best if you didn't make too much of a public spectacle next time. Don't need to draw too much unwanted attention." said the Commander.

The trip was pretty quick, and the whole way Mason was looking around them. The other believed him to be keeping a look out for any more thugs coming for them, but in actuality he was searching for the alley way where Tali was going fall in the trap Fist will set up.

'There it is.' he mentally checked off when they walked past the large alley behind the market district. 'Now, just need to be in the right place at the right time.' The team approached the medical clinic, the doors sliding open showing a tense stand off between two armed thugs and a terrified doctor.

"I didn't tell anyone, I swear!" the doctor screamed as one of the men held a gun in her face. None of them taking notice of the lone Turian creeping along the low wall behind them with weapon in hand.

"That was smart, doc." said the thug aiming at her. "Now, if Garrus comes around, you stay smart. Keep your mouth shut or we'll-" he was cut off when the door closed and the team drew weapons on the gunmen. "Who the hell are you?!" he demanded, grabbing the doctor and using her as a shield.

"Let her go!" Shepard demanded while Ashley, Kaidan and Mason had their side arms trained on him and his two partners.

Garrus took the distraction and leapt up, putting a round into the thug's head and putting him down fast, the team immediately opened up on the others before they had a chance to shoot at any of them. "Perfect timing, Shepard. Gave me a clear shot at that bastard." said the Turian holstering his weapon.

"What were you thinking? You could have hit the hostage!" demanded the Commander after they secured the clinic.

The detective shook his head, "There wasn't time to think. I just reacted. I didn't mean to...Dr. Michel? Are you hurt?" he asked turning to the shaken doctor.

"No. I'm okay. Thanks to you, all of you." she said rubbing her arm. "I don't know what would have happened if you weren't here when you were."

"Why were those men after you?" asked Kaidan. "It looked like they were trying to keep you quiet about something."

"They work for Fist. They wanted to shut me up, keep me from telling Garrus about the Quarian." said .

"Quarian?" asked Ashley.

The medical woman nodded, "Yes. A few days ago, a Quarian came by my office. She'd been shot, but she wouldn't tell me who did it. I could tell she was scared, probably on the run. She asked me about the Shadow Broker. She wanted to trade information in exchange for a safe place to hide."

The Commander nodded, "Where is she now?" she asked the doctor.

"I put her in contact with Fist. He's an agent for the Shadow Broker." said Michel.

"Not anymore." said Garrus shaking his head. "Now he works for Saren, and the Shadow Broker isn't too happy about it."

"Fist betrayed the Shadow Broker? That's stupid, even for him." said the doctor. "Saren must have made him quite the offer."

Mason looked at the Commander, "If she's got something on Saren, and Fist is working for him, her life is in serious risk. We need to find her before it's too late. And if I'm remembering that argument between the two Krogan right back at Chora's Den right, then Fist must run the place."

"Then it looks like we're heading back to the club." said Shepard.

"This is your show, Shepard. But I want to bring Saren down as much as you do. I'm coming along." said Garrus.

"Why do you hate Saren? Isn't he a fellow Turian?" asked Ashley confused.

"I couldn't find the proof I needed in my investigation." the detective said with fists clenched. "But I knew what was really going on. Saren's a traitor to the Council, and a disgrace to my people! And I won't stand for that."

The Commander nodded, holding her hand out and shaking his talon. "Welcome aboard, Garrus. We better get moving, the longer we wait, the less time we have at finding the Quarian."

"You know, we aren't the only ones going after Fist." said Garrus making them pause. "The Shadow Broker hired a Krogan bounty hunter named Wrex to take him out."

"A heavy hitter might come in handy, Commander." said Mason. "If Fist figures out we're coming, he'll have the club on lock down with armed guards. Better to have a back up plan if things go bad."

Shepard nodded before looking toward the detective, "You know where he could be?"

"Last I heard, he was at the C-Sec Academy. We brought him in for a little talk when Fist accused him of making threats. We should start there if we're picking him up before he leaves." replied Garrus.

"Then we better not waste anymore time, let's move out people." ordered the Commander. Checking with Dr. Michel one last time before they left the clinic.

Mason hung in the back of the now bigger group, eyes still searching when he caught a flash of something in his peripheral vision. Through the crowds. he caught sight of a familiar purple and dark-blue suit weaving amongst the outiside of the patrons going about their day.

'Tali...' he thought before glancing at the team ahead of him. 'Hope this doesn't come back to bite me in the ass.' When he was sure that they weren't noticing he slipped into a passing group and followed after the one he had seen.

"There's a shortcut to C-Sec through here." said Garrus leading them toward a ramp that led down into the lower section of the district. "We'll make a lot of time if we...weren't there four of you."

"What do you mean?" asked Ashley looking around and finding that they were indeed missing someone. "Commander! Mason's MIA!"

Shepard looked around them, her sharp eyes trying to locate the teen in the crowds. "Dammit! Must have gotten separated when we left the clinic." she brought up her omni-tool and contacted him. "Mason? Mason are you there?" when she didn't get a response she sighed, "We don't have time for this."

"Commander, take Garrus and go get Wrex. Ashley and I will look for Mason, we'll meet you at Chora's Den when we find him." said Kaidan.

The Commander nodded, "Stay in radio contact, and keep your eyes open. No telling how many more thugs Saren's got prowling around for us." The team separated with their tasks in mind.

Kaidan and Ashley fading into the crowds looking for their missing team mate, unaware that they had a shadow following them from afar.

**X**

It had taken a bit, but he had discovered that he was right. The suited person he saw moving in the district was Tali, and from the looks of things she was doing everything she could to avoid being detected in public.

Mason knew that he couldn't just approach her out of nowhere. She'd already been attacked and her perception of people trying to 'help her' probably wasn't too good. But she had no idea of knowing that the so called 'Shadow Broker' Fist had sent her to meet was a bunch of gunmen prepared to kill her.

But he knew that simply approaching her out of no where and telling her that she was about to fall into a trap wouldn't go over well. So for the time being he tailed her at a safe distance. Remaining out of sight as she went about the Lower Wards looking at various things and checking her omni-tool every few minutes. 'Probably checking the time.' he thought hanging back behind a kiosk selling tech pieces.

His omni-tool had been vibrating a few times in the half hour since he split off from the team. Shepard was going to be pissed that he took off like that, but if she knew what he was doing he had a feeling she wouldn't have too much of a problem. Though explaining it would mean him coming up with a believable excuse.

Looking back toward the Quarian woman, he found her moving again, this time much more quickly to the back section of the district. "Show time." he said going after her. Following toward the same back alley he had passed before when he and the others left Chora's Den earlier.

All the while wondering if the team was already tearing the place up in search of Fist.

Entering the alley, he drew his AR and crouched low to the ground. Using the various walls and pillars around him as cover while moving ahead slowly until he was in position.

Tali stood in the middle of the alley, out in the open as a Turian and two Salarians approached from the front. She looked at the armed men and tensed. "Did you bring it?" asked the Turian, his eyes roving over her suited form shamelessly.

"Where's the Shadow Broker? Where's Fist?" she demanded as they closed in on her.

"They'll be here." said the thug, taking his talon and running it along the side of her head and arm, mandibles wide in what would be considered a grin for a Turian. "You got the evidence?"

Tali slapped his hand off, feeling that something wasn't right about this. "No way, the deal's off." The thug sneered and reached for his weapon, but the Quarian was faster, snapping her hand out and tossing a tech-mine that detonated sending the assassin's flying back enough for her to make a break for cover.

Mason took the opportunity and stood up, raising his AR and pulling the trigger causing one of the Salarian assassins to go down before he even had a chance to realize what was happening. The Turian and his other companion saw the new threat and fired on him, attention off their first target allowing her to take shots at them with her shotgun.

With his barriers absorbing the rounds, Mason vaulted over the cover he had been behind slid back into cover beside where Tali was hunkered down. "Who are you?!" she asked over the rounds bouncing off the wall they were behind.

"A friend! But introductions can wait after we deal with these assholes!" he said back before standing and expelling the rest of his thermal clip. Tali was hesitant at first, but stood as well, shotgun in hand before blasting the other Salarian assassin away when he stopped to reload.

Two down, all that remained was the Turian who was spraying bullets all over the alley. His barriers taking the brunt of the duos counter attack before having to duck down again. Tali raised her omni-tool and fired an overload that took his shields down completely when he came back out, allowing Mason to finish him off with a spray of bullets to his chest. The body falling to the ground with a growing blue puddle around it.

The short fight now over, the mechanic popped the spent thermal clip and slammed a fresh one home before turning toward the Quarian standing beside him. He had to admit that pixels on a screen did her no justice at all.

Her suit was exactly like it was in the first game, an array of light-purple and dark-blue hugging her form close almost like a second skin and bringing out her curves. 'She has really nice legs...' he couldn't help but think while checking her out.

"I can't believe it!" she hissed while glaring down at the body of the leader with her glowing eyes. "Fist set me up! I knew I couldn't trust him!" She turned and looked at the one that had saved her, still a bit surprised that a complete stranger had come out of nowhere and saved her from the attack.

Ever since she had gotten to the Citadel she'd been attacked and discriminated against because she was Quarian. But when she looked at this man, she didn't see the same hate and avarice in his features like she had with others. Her people were adept at reading body language, given they were forced to wear enviro-suits on account of their severely weakened immune systems, and his relaxed posture and laid back demeanor told her that he was no one to be afraid of.

"Thank you for helping me, not that I couldn't handle everything myself." she said gratefully. "Who are you?"

Mason smiled at her and held out his hand, "Mason Riley. And you are?"

Tali looked at the hand a moment before reaching out and grasping it, her three fingers wrapped delicately with his five as they shook. "Tali'Zorah nar Rayya. Forgive me for asking so abruptly, but why are you here?"

"It's not in my nature to walk by when someone might be in trouble." he replied. "But more specifically, I'm working with Commander Shepard, she's trying to compile evidence to convict the Spectre Saren Arcterus of treason."

Tali nodded, "Then I have a chance to repay you for saving my life." she looked around the alley, "But not here, we should find a safe place for us to talk privately."

The sound of running footstep had them raising their weapons at the end of the alley behind them just as two familiar soldiers appeared with weapons also in hand. "Ash! Kaidan!" Mason called out, lowing his AR and waving to them.

"Mason, finally found you." said the Lieutenant in relief as he and the Chief approached them.

"What the hell were you thinking disappearing like that?!" Ashley demanded, but also glad to have found him as well.

The teen scratched the back of his head, "Sorry, got distracted back when we left the clinic and lost sight of you guys. I wandered around a while trying to find you when I found Tali here in trouble" he said motioning to the Quarian woman beside him, "I think she's the one Dr. Michel told us about, me and her just finished taking down some thugs Fist sent after her."

Kaidan looked from Tali and back to Mason, "We heard the gunfire, C-Sec's probably on the way. The Commander just radioed us and said she was heading this way as well, she, Garrus and that Krogan he was telling us about just finished dealing with Fist and should be here soon."

Right as he finished saying that, Shepard along with Garrus and Wrex appeared at the top of the stairs and came down to their level. Mason held his hand up at her, "Late to the party, Shepard!" he said kicking the body of one of the dead Salarians.

She walked past the others and pointed a finger in his face, "Cut the jokes, Mason. First chance we get you and I are having a discussion about sticking with the squad." she said in a tone that most mothers would use on their kids.

Mason held up his hands in surrender, "Look, I got a million and one excuses, so I'll just say sorry. I'm a dumbass for wandering off, but I managed to save our friend here who just happens to have what we're looking for. So cut me a little slack for that."

Shepard sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose, "Just don't do it again. We don't want a repeat of what happened on Eden Prime. Now, tell me what happened here" The teen nodded at her and began to explain what had transpired in the alley.

**X**

From a distance, the assassin had perched himself on a fourth floor balcony of the building that faced the alley way Saren informed him was where Fist sent the Quarian. After following the two Alliance marines around as they searched for the other target, he decided to see if he could get two birds with one stone...or in this case bullet.

And he was in luck. He witnessed the Human helping the Quarian dispatch the second-rate thugs the crime boss sent after her.

Looking through the scope of his sniper rifle, he looked at both targets as the talked amongst the rest of Shepard's team while deciding which one needed to die first. "I have both targets in sight." he said into his ear piece. "Fist's thugs failed, as expected. Which one do you want to go first?"

_"Both need to be dealt with, but the Quarian's data could expose me to the Council."_ said Saren. _"I can't afford to have them hindering my plans. Kill her, the Human can be dealt with later."_

Grinning, the assassin turned his sights toward the Quarian, finger hovering over the trigger.

**X**

After going over the firefight that had taken place in the alley way, everyone agreed that they should head to the Embassy and meet up with Anderson and Udina to discuss their findings. Tali being more than willing to offer what help she could in exchange for safety from Saren's men.

Once he was done explaining his part, leaving out the portion about knowing where Tali was going to be ahead of time, Mason took a moment to scan the two Keepers in the alley with the device he had been given. His omni-tool chiming and telling him 300 credits had been sent to his account twice.

"A little extra money goes a long way." he said to himself before walking over to the others. They were just about to head out, deciding to be long gone before C-Sec came to investigate the fighting that had taken place at Chora's Den and right here.

When everyone was together, the Commander motioned for all of them to start moving out when something out of the ordinary caught Mason's eye.

As Tali walked in front of him, he saw a small red dot moving up her back until it stopped at the back of her head. It had taken him all of one second to realize what that was and what was about to happen.

Time slowed to a crawl he he shot forward, shoving the Quarian woman out of the way just as a loud crack was heard somewhere in the distance.

Pain erupted through his whole being as a fountain of blood exploded out of his chest. The bullet having shattered his minor shields and punching straight through his left pectoral and out his back. His body hitting the ground with a dull thud as he felt his chest burning where he'd been shot.

Mason could make out yelling, but the feelings going through him made it hard to figure out who it was and what they were saying. He felt as though someone was pressing down hard on his lungs, making it hard to breathe as he tasted warm copper rising in the back of his throat.

He felt a sharp sting in the general area of his wound, then felt soft, nimble hands pressing down over it as he started feeling light headed. "...ason..." his eyes rolled around looking for the source, finding two people leaning over him, his vision going fuzzy making them hard to make out.

Trying to speak, he just ended up coughing and causing more of the warm copper to come forth. This chest burned again, but faded after a moment as he felt someone supporting his head. "...on't...talk...oing...be fin..." his hearing was failing him, it sounded like he was under water. Everything muffled as he slowly started to slip into the darkness that creeped around his vision.

"M...son! St...with us!" some one shouted from somewhere far vaguely felt someone moving him as he began to slip farther and farther away. Feeling someone touching his face, he blinked his eyes open as far as he could despite how weak he was feeling.

Through the haze, he could make out two bright lights looking down at him. Shimmering in an ocean of violet filling him with hope and peace. Deep down...he thought they were the most beautiful things he had ever seen, thinking that they must have been the eyes of an angel to make him feel this way.

This was the very last thing he was able to think...before slipping completely into oblivion.

**A/N: And there lies further proof that an OC doesn't have to be a Mary Sue. I've already got the next chapter in the works, so keep your eyes on your inboxes. Reviews = Quick update guys!**


End file.
